


Kiss Of Snow

by LadySwanna



Category: Hakuouki
Genre: Action, Drama, F/M, Romance, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2018-06-02 18:25:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6577519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadySwanna/pseuds/LadySwanna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>To make Kondo a great samurai was Hijikata's goal in life. But his simple world became complicated on the night he met a pureblood demoness who came from a realm devoid of feelings. As she was granted the permission to stay with the Shinsengumi, he soon discovered this icy cold demoness who initially knew nothing of emotions was actually very capable of passion (OC) {A Vampires Tale}</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Sunrise

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hakuoki. This amazing anime was created by Asuka Yamazaki, Kazuhiko Hasegawa and Mitsutoshi Ogura. I only created my OC!

**_Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)_ **

_Rated **Teen** for violence, blood, coarse language and / or sexually suggestive scenes for now. Rating  will eventually change to **Mature** as story progresses._

**_Slight alteration to Hakuoki plot_** \- Demons in this story are actual pureblood vampires and Rasetsu are humans who were turned by purebloods.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX  
**

**Kiss Of Snow**

**By: LadySwanna  
**

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

**Chapter 1 – The Sunrise  
**

“You have to go. _Now_.” It was an instruction so absolute, it demanded obedience.

“No! Mitsuru came for me because I am her primary target. I won’t leave you behind to fend her off for me just so I can escape,” Senhime snapped back with stubbornness. “There’s still time, we can leave together!”

“There is no time,” she glanced to her right and saw the cart with barrels still stationed at the side of the path. The owner would return with his horse any moment now. “Hide inside the barrel and keep quiet. You should be taken to a nearby town.”

“I said no! I’m not leaving without you.”

“Your presence will only become a distraction for me,” she said in an indifferent tone, revealing the harsh reality of the situation. Senhime’s face was contorted with what she had recently learned to read as _sadness_.

Although they were both demons, Senhime wasn’t a full-blooded demoness. Her ancestor had mated with a human many generations ago. Since she had some human heritage in her blood, Senhime was able to coexist with the humans as she shared their common emotions and feelings.           

Unlike Senhime, she was a solitary pureblood demoness that didn’t know how to feel or interact with another being. She had been by herself for longer than she could remember, detached from the outside world and residing deep in the woods alone. Human emotions were both foreign and confusing to her until she had met Senhime. She still could not grasp human emotions herself, but right now she felt a strange urge to keep Senhime safe. It was a newborn sensation for her, a desire to protect.

Senhime’s light brown eyes welled up tears, she was… _crying_. It was a physical signal associated with sadness, she remembered. How did it feel to cry? Unthinkingly, she wiped away the tears with a finger as they rolled down Senhime’s cheeks. It felt moist and warm to the touch.

“Why are you crying?” Her head tilted as she asked with curiosity. “Are you afraid? I will be here to protect you.”

For some reason, Senhime wept louder at her questions. “I’m crying because I’m sad that we have to be apart.”

Why would sadness bring about tears? If it wasn’t fear then why would Senhime feel _sad_ to part ways with her? They had only known each other for days and Senhime barely knew anything about her.

“I will come find you,” she didn’t understand what had brought on this commitment. Somehow she just knew Senhime needed the reassurance in this instant, so she said what the young demoness had wanted to hear.

Senhime’s eyes widened at her unexpected declaration. “You promise?”

Promises were akin to oaths among their kind, they were never mere words to be taken lightly.

“I promise. Hurry and go now.” 

Hesitating, she took two steps towards the cart but stopped. Senhime suddenly spun around and threw her arms around her neck, tightening her hold. She stiffened and stood motionless, unsure of how she was expected to react to this form of physical contact. 

“You must come and find me,” Senhime whispered. “I will be waiting for you.”   

She felt as if something was clenching her heart, constricting it tightly to the point of suffocation. “We will see each other again.”

Senhime gave her a weak nod and smiled before dashing away. She watched until Senhime concealed herself out of view inside an empty vessel. Convinced of her safety, she turned to head for the open field where the battle awaited her.   

The silver-haired demoness, Mitsuru appeared, fully transformed and ready to strike. “Just you? Where is the Princess?”

From a distance, she saw the owner had returned to retrieve his cart and was now riding his horse in the direction further away from the battleground. Remaining wordless, she unsheathed her sword and pointed it at Mitsuru.

Mitsuru’s lips curved and took out her shortsword. “So you’re my opponent today? Very well, the Princess can live to see another day. I will kill you first and then hunt her down.”  

Taking the life of a fellow demon was extremely rare, as their race had been driven close to extinction by humans many years ago. However, if eliminating Mitsuru would guarantee Senhime’s safety, then she would cross the line as many times as needed. After all, she was a pureblood that made her own choices; a demoness who was unchained by any rules and ordinances of the demons’ realm.

With a deep intake of breath, she leaped forward with lightning speed. Mitsuru jerked her head back when she dodged the sharp blade with her weapon, clearly surprised by her display of strength. Their skills in swordplay were evenly matched as they each parried and dodged the opponent’s oncoming attacks with ease. Neither of them was gaining the upper-hand thus far.   

She stared impassively as Mitsuru cried in frustration and charged forth with a burst of vitality that pushed her back across the dusty ground as she blocked the potent blow. Before she had a chance to recover, Mitsuru swung her shortsword towards her neck but she deflected the attack with ease. The clash of metal on metal resounded through the birth of the dawning sky.

“What’s the matter?” Mitsuru sneered, her blood red eyes glowed, completely devoid of any remaining traces of humanity now. “Why aren’t you in your true form? You really think you can defeat me without transforming?”

“I do not require my true form to kill you,” was the cold reply.

Mitsuru snarled with fury. “I will make you suffer a slow, painful death for underestimating me.”

Mitsuru sucked in a breath of cold air before lunging at her, and once again their blades met. She slid her blade back causing Mitsuru to stumble forward before she spun around to deliver a quick kick to Mitsuru’s ribs. There was an audible crunch as bones gave way under the weight of the attack and Mitsuru clutched her side with an inhuman growl.

Not missing an opportunity, she brought her weapon down in a tight arc and sliced the flesh on Mitsuru’s left arm. Blood spouted from the slash but the exposed skin tissue mended almost in an instant.

“My turn,” a wicked smile crossed Mitsuru’s face as she advanced towards her, raining down continuous blows, relentless in her impetuous attacks.

Breathing hard, she could hear nothing but the rapid beat of her own heart. She barely parried the oncoming assault and was forced backward until her back collided with a tree trunk. Momentarily distracted Mitsuru was able to land a blow, and she felt the sharp blade pierce muscle and bone.

She grimaced in pain and didn’t have time to react as Mitsuru abruptly pulled out the weapon and impaled her with it again, this time closer to her heart. Blood spurted furiously, staining the white fabric of her clothing crimson.

“How does it feel to be impaled by a weapon that can actually hurt purebloods? This demon slaying blade is our family heirloom from the Demon Clan of the North,” she grimaced when Mitsuru rotated her blade slowly and snickered. “Your wounds will not heal right away, you are no different than a pathetic mortal now.”

From the adrenaline rush, she could barely register the pain anymore. The metallic scent of her own blood in the air was so pungent and overpowering, it was blurring her vision. She knew she was starting to lose control of her anger, and she felt the beginnings of bloodlust take over. She grabbed Mitsuru’s hand and held tight as she wrenched it out of her chest.

She took Mitsuru by surprise when she thrusted her own sword into her opponent’s body. She twisted the still stunned Mitsuru’s wrist around and impaled Mitsuru’s heart with the demon-slaying shortsword. Silence reigned in the quiet of dawn as the demoness went still, her unblinking wide eyes became vacant. Mitsuru’s body gradually disintegrated, reduced to nothing but a pile of ash.  

She slid down slowly, leaning her back against the tree for support. She still couldn’t sense the pain from her bleeding wounds. All she felt was a numbing coldness that swept through her body. Each breath became physically harder, shallower. They were becoming so small and gentle, it was almost as if her breath was fading away. Was this what it felt like to pass on to the next realm?

She glanced up, her eyes were steady on the fiery red orb of light that rose above the horizon, mingling with the rolling clouds. Golden orange hues bled like fire beyond the visible lands ahead. Senhime would have appreciated this view of the heavens. That was the last thought that reverberated through her mind before darkness claimed her world.

**X X X**

**AUTHOR NOTE:**

Hi readers, here is the first chapter of my new Hakuoki fic! At first I actually didn’t know about Hakuouki until one day I’ve came across an AMV on youtube featuring the anime. I ended up finishing the series in two days and oh my goodness, it’s been a while since I’ve shed so much tears from watching an anime!

But then I’ve heard that the anime was based on the game so being an obsessed fan as I am, I’ve bought the game online and played it on my PS3. That was the best experience ever since I got the chance to play through all of the guys’ routes (in my opinion, Sano has the sweetest ending with Chizuru but I won’t spoil it for anyone).

I love the story so much but I wasn’t a big fan of their version of Oni and how they got horns…which was just way too weird for my taste. So in my story, I decided to make some changes and turn it into a vampire fic instead – I might as well since they involved sucking blood and all lol.

Special shout out to **Waffle** , he will be my beta reader for this story. Thank you for your help as usual!

Last but not least, I want to express my thanks to readers who gave this fic a chance! I hope you will be enjoying the plot and I will try to update as frequent as possible. Comments and kudos are much appreciated!

See you in the next chapter. 


	2. Winter Snowfall

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hakuoki. This amazing anime was created by Asuka Yamazaki, Kazuhiko Hasegawa and Mitsutoshi Ogura. I only created my OC!

**_Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)_ **

_Rated **Teen** for violence, blood, coarse language and / or sexually suggestive scenes for now. Rating  will eventually change to **Mature** as story progresses._

**_Slight alteration to Hakuoki plot_** \- Demons in this story are actual pureblood vampires and Rasetsu are humans who were turned by purebloods.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX  
**

**Kiss Of Snow**

**By: LadySwanna  
**

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

**Chapter 2 – Winter Snowfall  
**

The sun was already dipping behind the crest of the mountains; the sky to the west was engulfed and spread with a ruby red afterglow. She exhaled deeply, a visible puff of warm air rising skyward in the frigid atmosphere. The wintry breeze was much colder today, it would snow soon. After dwelling in the heart of the desolate woods in the past decades, she had become perceptive of the passing annual seasons and the changing weather.

Her gaze shifted from the sky to the residential area becoming visibly closer. It was a small village with old, barely habitable huts that were occupied by mortals and their families. Aware of her current physical condition and the fact that it had only been two days since she had sustained the severe injuries from the battle, it would have been a wise choice to avoid contact with humans. It wasn’t only her body that was deteriorating at a fast pace from the vast amount of blood loss through the unhealed wounds, her mind had begun to slowly crumple from the growing thirst for blood.

The one thing that had prevented her from succumbing to the thriving hunger and transforming into a feral predator was the vow she had made to Senhime. She had promised to find her once the threat to her safety was eliminated and she intended to keep her word. She was uncertain of how she knew, but she had an unexplainable feeling that Senhime would be crying again if she didn’t make an appearance soon. The sight of Senhime’s tears had always brought on the knot she felt in the pit of her stomach. It was a rather strange sensation that she preferred to abstain from and not experience again.

“No! It can’t be! You’re mistaken! My husband isn’t dead,” a woman’s voice reeled her attention to the group of mortals gathered around in front of a hut. “That can’t be my husband under that cloth!”

She stood a few feet away from the commotion and looked on as the woman unveiled the corpse. The woman must have had recognized the dead man when she threw her arms over his unmoving body and cried out loud. “No! Why?! He said he was going to Kyoto to do some trading and then he would return home in three days…Why?! How did this happen?!”

“We have to wait for the physician to perform an autopsy and find out more since there weren’t any wounds on him,” answered a man who stood next to the body, his head bowed low. “Except for the two holes on his neck but we’re not sure how he got injured there.”

The abrupt revelation spurred her into action and she moved towards the group for a close up inspection of the corpse. A few heads turned to her when she gently made her way to the front and stood with the crowd. She pulled the hood of her black shawl closer to hide her pallid countenance that emphasized her demonic features. She did not want to draw undue attention to herself, and since the mortals couldn’t see her face they shortly redirected their attention back to the woman on the ground.

There it was – two small puncture wounds on the neck of the woman’s husband. She knew they were deceptively deep and went all the way to the veins. She recognized the mark of demonic fangs; this man had been murdered and his blood had been sucked dry.

Pureblood demons drank human blood, but it was never a necessity for their survival. It was more of a yearning; a desire that occasionally needed to be sated. It was uncommon for purebloods to take lives during feedings. Most demons regarded humans as nothing but aliments, but they were also wary of exposing themselves to the world that was now dominated by the mortals. Above all since humans had decimated the vast population of demons decades ago, the remaining survivors considered the best course of action was to live disguised amongst them.

“I’m very sorry for your loss, but you should take a good care of yourself,” the man continued, breaking her train of thoughts. “Your husband wouldn’t want to see you grieve for him like this.”

“What am I supposed to do now…? I still have our two children and an infant at home…How am I supposed to tell them that their father…their father has…” The woman’s words trailed off, her hands cupping the dead man’s face.

“What a poor woman, her husband died so young too,” commented a man near her within the crowd.

“I heard this wasn’t the first time they’ve found a body with a wound like this. Lately there were many victims who died in a similar death. Rumors had it that their bloods were drained and some bodies were even mutilated with multiple wounds,” his neighbor stated. Deciding that she had heard enough, she gave one last glance at the woman still clinging onto the body of her husband and turned to leave.

Not that purebloods would never kill when they fed on the mortals, but to slaughter in such an inefficient and unmethodical way was highly unlikely. One bite to the major blood vessels in the neck would have sufficed for the execution without wasting a drop of blood.

That meant this may possibly have been an act from a Rasetsu; beings that were once mortals but were turned by a pureblood to become mindless bloodthirsting creatures. They possessed the strength and speed of a demon but in return for the endowed gifts, they had to consume human blood to live on. Their lust for blood was so overpowering that some Rasetsu had relinquished the last thread of their humanity and went rogue. Once Rasetsu reached that phase of their transformation, they were too far gone. They were reduced to nothing more than self-destructive slayers and continued killing every human in sight for blood unless they were destroyed.

Pureblood demons almost never turned a mortal. They were familiar with the fact that humans were weak-minded and they couldn’t reign in their emotions. They were very susceptible to the powers that turned them in the first place so demons rarely converted a mortal into Rasetsu. It was a fact that had been ingrained into her by her late guardian, and more importantly she had experienced it herself two winters ago when she had turned a young man into one. That event of her life had broadened her insight of the mortals, it had reformed her shallow understanding of them.

However, there were some purebloods still held the belief that mortals shouldn’t be allowed to coexist with them because they considered them lesser beings. Thus demons like Mitsuru had held no restraint and turned humans to Rasetsu solely for their personal amusement. They wanted to witness the mortals slaughtering one another as a form of vengeance and punishment for the mass extermination of their race.     

As she continued striding in the direction of Kyoto, her mind unconsciously shifted back to the vulnerable woman from the village. Her expression had been warped in sorrow, it was the very same haunting expression that she had seen on the faces of the couple from two years ago. She glanced up at the now dimmed sky. Darkness was fast approaching but she should arrive at Kyoto before nightfall. If the people there were infested with Rasetsu, then she would most definitely come across them tonight. If that happened, then she had the intention of exterminating every last one them right then and there.

**X X X  
**

From above the roof, she could see the lively town was now vacant and bare. Streets were swallowed by the encroaching darkness of shadows. Through the clear nightfall sky, the moon shone brighter. Her guardian had once said even in the darkness there was light; she didn’t understand the implication then but perhaps there was some truth to it.

Breath pale against the cold air, she blinked. Soft, dusty flakes of snow fell and sat heavy on her eyelashes. She brought up her hand to catch the snowflakes before they melted away in her palm. She was captivated by the falling snow as they blinded the night with ice white dust.

The sound of a sudden scream carried through the quiet of the night followed by the scent of fresh blood. She silently leapt across to the adjoining rooftops and raced to the source of the disturbance to a secluded alley.

There were her targets standing above two human bodies.

Three Rasetsu were dressed in similar attire; a blue haori with a white cord crossed from front to back and matching white headbands. Two of them had already lost their minds completely to the madness. She could tell from the savage way they were stabbing the already dead man with their blades and sinking their fangs in places that lacked major arteries. The remaining one hovered over the second corpse as he drank the last drop of blood from the neck.

The intoxicating metallic scent of blood raised her own hunger that she had been attempting to keep under control; her heart was drumming hard against her chest, and she could feel the tips of her canines threatening to protrude from inside her mouth. Her excitement for rampage was climbing rapidly.

Sensing her presence, the Rasetsu snapped their heads up, their blood red eyes glowing fiercely in the dark as they advanced towards her. She dashed up to the two frenzied creatures. Once she closed enough distance between them, she unsheathed her sword in a swift motion and swung the weapon in an arc. The blow landed on one of the Rasetsu, causing him to stumble backward. With a quick whirl of her body, she thrusted the sharp blade into the other approaching Rasetsu. The strike hit a critical mark and pierced him right through the heart. His body instantly turned to ash and was blown away by the windy breeze. Without turning around, she made an immediate twist of her wrist to rotate the sword and stabbed it into the other Rasetsu that had moved up behind her. The creature shared the same fate.

She turned to the last standing Rasetsu, who stared back with his large eyes. He had transformed back to his human form, no longer carrying the distinguished red eyes and silver hair of a Rasetsu. At this point, it would not matter even if he still had traces of humanity remained inside. For him to feed until his victim perished, it meant his willpower was slipping and he no longer had any self-control over his mind when he was in the transformed state.

He would have to die.          

She started approaching him slowly like a predator ready to pounce on its prey. Fully aware of the fact that whether he was in his Rasetsu form or not, he was clearly no match for her level of strength. He spun around quickly and sped away, trying to escape. The chase was short-lived when they reached the fork of the alleyway and two mortal men dressed in the same uniform appeared. The Rasetsu hurriedly scurried behind the shorter man with indigo hair loosely tied into a side ponytail, shielding himself for protection.

“Sa-Saito-san…! That man killed the two innocent people over there! I witnessed the murders and then he started chasing after me. He’s trying to kill me too! Please save me!”

Ignoring his distorted accusation, she charged towards him but the mortal man stepped in the way, barricading her. In the swift moment, he drew out his sword and swung it across her abdomen in one blinding speed of motion. Even with her demon agility, she barely evaded the powerful blow when she lifted up her sword to meet his blade. In the next instant, he was already swaying his weapon at her, his speed almost inhuman.

The clash of metal echoed across the dark city as she parried and blocked each of his attacks. She made a mistake and exposed an unguarded opening for her opponent when he managed to throw a kick to her injured shoulder. The ferocity of the hit sent her sliding backward but she crouched low with support from her feet and free hand on the snow covered ground. Her reflex was almost feline-like and she caught her balance immediately.

“Now that’s a rare sight. Someone can actually block your special technique, Saito-kun,” said the other mortal man with reddish brown hair when he moved to stand beside her opponent. He had been silently observing the combat from behind, as if he had been analyzing her movements. “Either your skills in swordplay are becoming rusty or this man is just that good.”

Having both men’s backs facing him now, the Rasetsu’s feigned look of terror vanished and he stared at her blankly. The brown haired man smirked, pulling out his weapon from the scabbard and pointed the end of his blade at her as he continued, “Now let me be the judge of how good you really are.”

With her head dipped low, she pressed her left hand against the injured shoulder. The sharp, piercing pain of the wounds had intensified and she was bleeding again. She could smell the pungent scent of her own blood seeping through the inside layer of her clothes beneath the black shawl. Her anger grew, the sudden surge of energy ruptured through her body. She was determined to take the life of this Rasetsu, and she would not allow these humans to stand in her way. Taking in a deep breath of wintry air, she lunged towards the men again with a burst of fervor.

The Rasetsu was marked for death. And he must die tonight.

**X X X  
**

Wet snow crunched under the weight of Hijikata’s black boots when he ran across the empty streets covered in a delicate blanket of white. Ever since the Shinsengumi had accepted the classified mission straight from the Emperor to eradicate rogues in Kyoto two weeks ago, they had been on nightly routine patrols. The lack of knowledge on the nature of these rogues made their duty even more challenging.

Rumors had it that these rogues were mindless ferocious monsters that preferred to expose themselves after dark to prey on humans. They had yet to encounter one during their rounds, but in the past few days bodies drained of blood had been slowly surfacing and piling up at every corner within the city of Kyoto. The abominable situation was becoming quite chaotic for the townspeople. The government had decided to step in before things became even more unmanageable.

Orders had come down to the Shinsengumi, as they were commanded to guard the city and execute any rogues they came across on the streets. Although they were given this valuable opportunity because their group was recognized for their meritable bravery and exquisite swordsmanship, Hijikata still couldn’t help but to be concerned for his men’s welfare.

Hijikata inhaled sharply and hurried in the direction of where he heard the noise of battle. Judging from the loud ringing sound of metal blades colliding, he knew his friends were engaged in a fight nearby. Although Saito and Souji both were excellent swordsmen, Hijikata couldn’t shake off the sense of unease that he felt up his spine. Especially when he had not the slightest clue of what exactly their clan was up against and dealing with.

The lives of his men rest solely on his hands. One wrong judgement or mishap from his end would get them all killed. It was the kind of responsibility Hijikata did not relish, but not because he was afraid of being held accountable or being seen as an incompetent leader. Far from that. He knew he just simply wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he ever put his friends in unnecessary danger. His guilty conscience would never cease to plague his soul until the day he passed on to the next world.

Hijikata rushed around the corner to another isolated alley. He saw the two Shinsengumi Captains, along with the subordinate from third division, Juro there. The men were currently having a standoff with a mysterious man who had his face under a hooded cloak. The crouching man suddenly struck like a fierce storm towards Saito and Souji with alarming speed and knocked them both back with his sword. In that instant the mysterious man could have caused serious damage to either of them, but he only forced them to disperse with the relentless swings of his weapon. As both men were driven off in different directions to parry the attacks, their opponent took the opportunity to bolt forward and thrust his blade into Juro’s chest, pushing the shocked man up against the wall.

Souji stormed up and swung his weapon at the man from behind, who dodged the assault effortlessly as he bent his upper body backward. That agile movement caused the hood to slip off from the attacker’s head, revealing long locks of raven hair being blown in the cold wind. Saito and Souji both froze, evidently startled to find that their opponent turned out to be a young woman. Their surprise turned to confusion the moment she pulled out her sword from Juro’s chest and his body instantly disintegrated into dust.

Hijikata retrieved his blade and pointed it sharply at her. “You make another move and I will cut you down.”

She turned to him wordlessly, her expression was stolid. The two men approached closer to examine the pile of human ashes.

“What happened?” asked Saito as he picked up the Shinsengumi uniform lying on the ground.

“Why did Juro turn to ashes?” Souji queried, he was just as curious by the mind-boggling circumstances before them.

Hijikata had no doubt that all three of them had that very same question dancing on their minds. In fact, there were simply too many pieces to this puzzle that didn’t seem to quite fit together. He expected this woman to provide a satisfactory explanation for all these unanswered questions.

Souji turned to Hijikata. “And what are we going to do with her?”

The men’s eyes were locked on the woman. Her face did not show any hints of fear. She seemed to be unconcerned with her own current state of affairs even though her fate was about to be decided by three unknown men.

“We will take her back for interrogation in the morning,” stated Hijikata with calmness.

Hijikata watched her intently when Saito came up to her, he would strike her down if she tried to pull a stunt on them. She may be a female but she was definitely an abetting killer who was more than capable of murder without so much as showing a frown on her face.

Confident that she wouldn’t pose a threat anymore, Hijikata sheathed his sword after Saito confiscated the weapon that she held in her hand and the shortsword that was strapped by her waist. Souji then picked up the white cord from Juro’s uniform and stood behind the girl.  

“That’s too bad, I thought I would have the pleasure of killing you,” Souji grinned as he bound her wrists with the cord securely behind her back. “But it would be such a shame to kill a pretty girl just like that. What’s your name?”

“Enough,” Hijikata raised his voice in annoyance. Only Souji would make light of their present intricate situation and still have the mood to flirt. Hijikata, on the other hand, only wanted to get to the bottom of this uphill commotion, and he would. After he got some answers from their captive. “Time to head back to our headquarters.”

Hijikata and Saito began walking ahead while Souji kept watch on the girl from behind. She suddenly spoke up, surprising them.

“Asuna.”

The men halted and turned their heads to the young woman. Her cold gaze met Hijikata’s in the darkness when she spoke in her soft, feminine voice again.

“My name…is Shinhara Asuna.”

**X X X**

**AUTHOR NOTE:  
**

Hi readers, thank you for the great feedbacks and positive responses so far! I’m glad to see that some of you enjoyed first chapter. As promised, I will try to update as often as I could and so here is chapter two!

Special thanks to **Waffle** – my beta reader who was being forced to edit so late at night! You’re the best.

Lastly, I hope it was an enjoyable read for you all though the fight scenes drove me crazy lol. Comments and kudos will be greatly appreciated once again!

See you guys in the next chapter!


	3. Interrogation

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hakuoki. This amazing anime was created by Asuka Yamazaki, Kazuhiko Hasegawa and Mitsutoshi Ogura. I only created my beloved Asuna!

**_Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)_ **

_Rated **Teen** for violence, blood, coarse language and / or sexually suggestive scenes for now. Rating  will eventually change to **Mature** as story progresses._

**_Slight alteration to Hakuoki plot_** \- Demons in this story are actual pureblood vampires and Rasetsu are humans who were turned by purebloods.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX  
**

**Kiss Of Snow**

**By: LadySwanna  
**

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

**Chapter 3 – Interrogation  
**

With her eyes still closed and her back leaning against the wall, Asuna listened to the faint, distant birdsong at the break of dawn. The excruciating pain from her right shoulder was gone, replaced by a dull throb. She was more aware of her body now. The lesions may have clotted again but without proper medical care, any minor movements of her shoulder would only reopen the lacerations again.

Her physical condition had receded to the alarming point where the remaining control of her humanity was dangerously close to snapping. When that happened, Asuna would be caving in to her demonic instinct and feed on human blood to accelerate her healing and regenerate her health to an optimal level. To target an accessible human in a house full of mortals would be simple, but it could possibly expose her true identity as a demoness.

Under normal circumstances she would care less about keeping her identity hidden when she knew the strength of these mortals were no match to hers. However, since her main objective at Kyoto was to search for Senhime, her task would only become more complicated and difficult if humans were to hunt her down. She was in their territory after all, so it would be prudent for her to disguise herself as a mortal and seek out Senhime discreetly.

Asuna slowly opened her eyes and glanced around her confined surroundings. It was a small, bare chamber with a low wooden table to her left. She looked down at the tatami mat beneath her and noticed the ample stain of blood at the tips of her fingers. Asuna’s brows were knitted slightly at the aching soreness from her shoulder when she lifted her right hand. Her palm was covered in coagulated blood from the overnight bleeding. The blood may have dried up but the rousing metallic scent was still present and it was intoxicating to her. Her hand was clenched into a fist when the door to her chamber suddenly slid open, spilling daybreak sunlight into the room.

As a middle aged mortal man entered and approached her, she swiftly pulled the featherweight blue blanket to cover the bloodstained tatami mat. The man halted his footsteps when he noticed the torn cords that had been used to restrict her last night was laying at the edge of the mat.

“I see that you’ve managed to unbind yourself from the ropes,” said the man, sounding almost unnecessarily impressed.

Such insubstantial bindings held no challenge for a pureblood like her. In fact Asuna could walk out of this residence and none of the humans would be able to stop her. She had chosen to follow the mortal men back to their domain late last night because she had needed a safe berth to stay and rest.  

When Asuna remained unresponsive, the man continued. “My name is Genzaburo Inoue and I’ve been instructed to bring you to see our Commanders. They are awaiting for you so please come with me.”

To be in an enclosed room with a group of mortals sounded very inviting to her demonic senses right now. Almost _too_ inviting. Asuna would have to restrain her demonic side if she wanted to prevent the bloodshed that was sure to follow. But her remaining self-control was weakening by the minute as her hunger grew.

When the man saw that she made no attempt to move, he wrapped his fingers around her elbow and tried to urge her to stand by pulling at her right arm. “Come, I will take you to them.”

His grasp wasn’t hostile nor forceful, but the abrupt lift of her injured shoulder caused the piercing pain to return. Asuna immediately pulled away from his hold.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to do anything,” explained the man, obviously understanding the inference that she did not want to be touched. “But all the Commanders and Captains are expecting you, we shouldn’t make them wait.”

With a silent intake of breath, Asuna rose from the tatami mat and walked towards the door. The moment she stepped out of the room, she was greeted by the cold breeze of the crisp winter morning. The modest garden before her was overcast with a thick layer of snow, stilled and perfectly white. It was a scene of beauty and serenity, reminding her of the quiet wintry days when she resided in the woods alone.

The man walked past her and motioned her to follow. “Come, I will show you the way.”

**X X X**

“What do you mean Juro turned to ash?” Heisuke widened his eyes in disbelief upon hearing the retelling of yesterday’s events.

Souji smirked at the young boy’s look of skepticism. “It means exactly what I said, Juro’s body turned to ash right after our little captive killed him.”

“How is that even possible?” questioned Shinpachi, scratching the back of his head as he was also doubtful about the news.

Hijikata couldn’t criticize the Captains for their doubts. He would have found it preposterous too if he hadn’t witnessed the incident with his own eyes. The fact that the mysterious woman had shown no sign of surprise at what unfolded before her told Hijikata that she knew exactly why it had happened. He had every intention of finding out what she knew once they could interrogate her shortly.

“That does sound beyond belief,” stated Sannan as he re-adjusted his glasses at the bridge of his nose. “But I’m most fascinated by the fact that this killer was able to overpower two Shinsengumi Captains and manage to kill Juro right under your noses. It would certainly be an asset to have such a person join the Shinsengumi.”

Shinpachi’s jaw dropped in rejection. “Sannan-san, you’re kidding, right?”

“This person murdered one of our men, how can we recruit the killer to join us just like that?!” Heisuke added, disapproving such an absurd suggestion.

“As one of our Vice-Commanders, Sannan-san is always so pragmatic with his choices,” Sanosuke complimented respectfully with a grin. Next to him sat Chizuru, who remained quiet during the group discussion as usual.

She had joined them not too long ago when she had arrived in the city of Kyoto to search for her father, Kodo-san who had gone missing. Ever since she had started staying with the Shinsengumi, most of the men had lavished her with attention since she was the only female in the headquarters. But Hijikata noticed that Sanosuke had become particularly protective of Chizuru, and it wasn’t hard to figure out the reason behind his behavior. Chizuru also tended to spend most of her personal free time with Sanosuke after she had completed her chores and duties around the house. It would only be a matter of time for those two to recognize their attraction to each other and come clean about their feelings for one another.

“I wouldn’t mind having another pretty face join us,” Souji’s devious smirk grew. “Plus she can wield a sword better than most of our trained subordinates here.”

“The killer is a _SHE_?!” Shinpachi and Heisuke both exclaimed at the same time, clearly stunned by the revelation.

“Did I not mention that the killer is a girl?” asked Souji with feigned innocence, enjoying every minute of their surprise.

“NO!” The two Captains shouted in unison again.

“My bad,” Souji said it with an unapologetic shrug. “But Asuna-chan is quite impressive, she’s probably the only woman who is capable of evading Saito-kun’s laijutsu technique.”

Heisuke gave Souji a baffled look. “You even know her name?”

Still in shock, Shinpachi turned to Saito and asked, “Is it true, Saito? You got overpowered by a girl?!”

Saito, who had been silent during the entire conversation finally spoke up for the first time, obviously choosing not to take offense at the remark. “I agree she is rather proficient with her skills in swordplay.”

Once again, Hijikata would have thought what Souji had said was nothing more than exaggeration if he wasn’t present at the scene of their battle. His instinct told him that there was something about the young woman that wasn’t quite…right. Besides her cold and apathetic exterior, Hijikata wished he knew what it was about her that was bugging the hell out of him.

“I’m more concerned about the reason why she killed Juro,” said Kondo, expressing his worries. “Do you think it may be a possibility that she could be a spy sent by the Choshu clan, Toshi?”

That was one of the many possibilities that had crossed Hijikata’s mind since they had brought her back. However, it was still too soon for them to be drawing conclusions about her without receiving some answers first. He turned to their Commander who sat beside him and replied, “We will find out soon enough.”

A faint knock came before the screen door was slid open. Standing by the entrance, Genzaburo bowed to the leaders and then gestured the girl behind him to step forward. She came forth without showing any form of resistance nor hesitancy. The moment she entered the meeting room, Hijikata noticed that all eyes were on her. Both Shinpachi and Heisuke had their jaws hanging but he couldn’t blame the men for it. He gazed over her face as he got his first up close look at her with proper lighting this time.

She was a beautiful young woman; skin white as snow, straight silky locks of hair framing large, almond-shaped eyes, a straight nose, and high cheekbones in an oval face. Her long raven hair contrasted vividly with her aquamarine blue eyes, making them appear even brighter. But it was the way she presented herself that was the most captivating. Instead of being terrified by her current ominous situation, she demonstrated a sense of dignity and pride with her head held high like nobility. Many men paled in comparison to her display of confidence.            

The girl scrutinized the room and studied each individual, not missing anything with her pair of piercing eyes until she caught sight of Chizuru. For some odd reason, her stare lingered on Chizuru longer than necessary and it was only when Sannan spoke to her that she finally tore her gaze away.

“Come and sit. We have some questions that we would like to ask you.”

She joined the group as instructed and kneeled like the rest of them, settling herself between Souji and Hijikata near the entrance of the room. The girl looked at Chizuru again, this time it didn’t go unnoticed between the men when they shared the same look of curiosity, wondering why she was focusing on Chizuru so much.   

“You don’t seem like you are from around here,” Sannan spoke again to begin the interrogation. “Who are you and what is your purpose in coming to Kyoto?”

She turned her attention to Sannan and replied in a matter-of-fact manner, “I already mentioned my name is Asuna Shinohara. I came here to search for someone.”

“Is it a relative or a member of your family?” Kondo probed.

“I don’t have any family.”

Something about her detached tone while mentioning her own family stirred Hijikata. He wasn’t sure whether it was the fact that she was also an orphan like most of them or it was the way she spoke of her family in such an unfeeling fashion. Maybe it was a bit of both.

Kondo frowned, no doubt his heart had already gone out to her after hearing such an answer. “Then is it a friend that you’re looking for?”

“Friend?” The word rolled off her tongue as if it was a foreign term to her.

“You know what? This is a complete waste of time. Let’s stop beating around the bush with her and just get straight to the point,” Shinpachi scowled, he fisted both of his hands in anger. “Why did you kill Juro?! Did you not know that he was a member of the Shinsengumi?!”

“I didn’t kill just one member, I killed three.”

 The unexpected declaration came as a shock amongst the men in the room when they glanced at one another for affirmation.

“I will check on any missing members who haven’t returned to their divisions since last night,” said Sanosuke, offering to confirm for the group.

“Why are you killing our men? Did someone order you to assassinate Shinsengumi members?” Sannan demanded, his tone much firmer now that he realized he was dealing with a serial killer.

“Men?” She repeated the word with a tilt of her head. “ _Men_ would not be reduced to dust when they are struck down. Those three were not humans.”

There was a moment of pregnant silence.

None of the men spoke because as bizarre as it may have sounded, the girl was speaking the truth. Yet the men didn’t know how to express their current feelings or thoughts on the matter.

Souji was the first to break the silence when he asked, “If they weren’t humans then what were they?” 

“Rasetsu.”

“What are Rasetsu?” asked Sanosuke, pressing for an elaborate explanation that would no doubt appease all the inquiring minds within this room.

“Humans who are turned into blood-lusting creatures.”

“Blood-lusting creatures…?” Heisuke began. “H-hey, is she referring to the rogues that we were ordered to-”

“Enough,” Hijikata interrupted the young Captain from continuing. There was no need to disclose such classified information to an outsider with an unknown background. He would not take any chances of jeopardizing their mission.

Kondo turned to Hijikata when he asked, “Toshi, do you think there is a correlation between the rogues and these Rasetsu that she is speaking of?”

“We should discuss that at another time,” Hijikata replied abruptly, glancing at the woman next to him. Her complexion seemed to be sickly pale upon closer inspection.

What she had explained fit the descriptions of the rogues that the Shinsengumi were commanded by the Emperor to annihilate. What ruffled him was that she appeared to have comprehensive knowledge with regards to these Rasetsu. At the very least, she recognized their inscrutable weaknesses and was capable of wiping out three rogues quickly.

Meanwhile his group had absolutely no clue what they were up against based on the vague information they were given. They hadn’t even realized that one of their own men had become a Rasetsu since they were unaware of the signs that would indicate the difference.

“You said they were humans before they were turned into Rasetsu. How were they turned then?” Sannan inquired with budding interest. As the intellectual one, Sannan would definitely want to investigate what led to such an unimaginable transformation.

This time the woman remained wordless. She held Sannan’s stare before drifting her gaze over to Chizuru again, and this time all the men turned their eyes to the girl who was dressed in men’s clothes. Surprised and confused, Chizuru fidgeted nervously under the woman’s intense stare.

“Of all the men in this room, you seem to be quite attracted to Yukimura-kun,” a sly grin fell on Souji’s lips as he inched closer to the woman, gently gathering a handful of her glossy raven locks into his hand and inhaling her inviting fragrance. When she turned to him, his smile grew. Souji laid eyes on her in a way that he learned brought most women to their knees, all slow burn and promises of delight. “Why don’t you look at me instead? I can be your playmate.”

“Don’t touch me,” she warned yet made no attempt to move away. It was a soft warning, but there was a promise of menace in her undertone.         

“Why not? You don’t have to be shy around me, Asuna-chan.”

“Because,” she began with the indifferent attitude of hers, slowly gathering her hair in a bunch with her left hand as they slid from Souji’s grasp. “You don’t have skin privileges.”

Souji paused for a split second before throwing his head back and laughed as if he was genuinely amused by the woman. “I like you, Asuna-chan. You are so different compared to other women I’ve met.”   

“She gives me the creeps,” stated Shinpachi, the annoyed scowl returning to his face again. “Whether or not Juro and the others were Rasetsu, she slaughtered three of our men. What are we going to do with her?”

“Are you suggesting execution, Shinpachi?” Souji asked, his smirk couldn’t be any more devilish.

“Souji! Don’t talk about taking the life of a civilian as if it is a light matter!” Kondo scolded disapprovingly.

“But she isn’t a normal civilian if she is capable of killing three rogues in one night,” Sanosuke suggested logically. “And we have no knowledge of her background. She could be a spy or an assassin sent to bring havoc to our clan for all we know.”

“She knows a lot about Rasetsu, she may be useful to keep around for a while longer,” said Sannan.

Just like last night while her fate was being decided amidst a group of unknown men, Hijikata noticed her expression remained nonchalant and untroubled. It was quite a rare sight, as if this woman was not at all concerned for her own life even though they were determining the possibility of her execution. In his lifetime, Hijikata had only seen trained assassins and brave samurais exhibit such a level of exercised calmness in the presence of danger. Perhaps just as Sanosuke had mentioned, she was not a normal commoner passing by in search of her comrade.

As he continued to observe her reaction while the other men chattered away, Hijikata saw her head dip low and a crease appear between her delicate eyebrows. A drop of blood dripped from her right hand, staining the straw mat.

“Are you injured?” Hijikata’s unexpected question ceased the ongoing conversation in the room.

The men’s glances shifted between Souji and Saito, seeking for an explanation of what had happened last night. It was Saito who spoke first. “Her wounds weren’t inflicted by us.”

When the woman continued to stay speechless, Hijikata moved in front of her and made a grab at her black cloak, attempting to remove it and see her injuries himself. Her head shot up immediately and she jerked away. From the enclosed distance between them, he found himself fascinated by her large aquamarine blue eyes. There was almost an equal ratio of green to blue, and blue was slightly more dominant in the outer ring of her irises. Her eyes were so astonishing that he involuntarily sucked in his breath.            

“I won’t do anything to you,” Hijikata explained, his gaze continued to lock with hers. “I just want to see how severe your injuries are.”

Hearing his promise of inviolability, she remained motionless. Hijikata took the cue and continued to remove the garment, her watchful eyes were on him as he unfastened the straps. Gasps and exclamations filled the room as soon as he lifted the right side of the cloak to reveal the ivory haori jacket which was now blood-soaked from her shoulder downward.

“She needs immediate medical attention,” Kondo-san barked loudly with anxiety. “Yukimura-kun, please find Inoue and have him help you to clean and bandage her wounds.”

Chizuru broke out of her daze from the ghastly sight and nodded.

“Yes, I will go right now!” She hurried over to the woman’s side, placing her hands lightly on her arm to help her get up. “Come, let’s return to your room and I will help you disinfect your wounds.”

There was a tiny flicker of light that came and went in the darkness of her eyes when she returned Chirzuru’s gaze. After a moment of hesitation, she complied and rose to her feet, allowing Chirzuru to lead the way out of the meeting room.

“Just who is this woman? And how the hell did she manage to take down rogues even with an injury like that?” Heisuke grimaced but no one commented further.

 Hijikata couldn’t move.

Instinctively he was shaken in a way he had never been before. His breath stalled in his throat and his fists were unknowingly clenched so tight that his knuckles were turning white. He couldn’t believe he had locked up a woman without being aware that she had sustained such severe wounds. It was no wonder that she was so terribly pale, she could have died from that amount of blood loss overnight, and that would have been on his hands.

 _Dammit!_ Hijikata swore to himself darkly.

Her death would have been his fault.

**X X X  
**

**AUTHOR NOTE:**

Hi everyone, here is chapter three! Hope it was a fun read because I certainly had a lot of fun writing the last scene with so many characters in it heh. I’m already working on chapter four and hopefully I can update sometime again next week if I’m not too busy.

Special thanks to **Waffle** for being my awesome beta reader as usual.

Also I want to thank those who have given me a kudo and dropping off a comment. It's really motivating to know readers are appreciating my work!

As usual, kudos, comments and feedbacks are greatly appreciated!

See you all sometime soon!


	4. Unforeseen Relevations

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hakuoki. This amazing anime was created by Asuka Yamazaki, Kazuhiko Hasegawa and Mitsutoshi Ogura. I only created my beloved Asuna and I'm proud of her.

**_Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)_ **

_Rated **Teen** for violence, blood, coarse language and / or sexually suggestive scenes for now. Rating  will eventually change to **Mature** as story progresses._

_**Slight alteration to Hakuoki plot**_ \- Demons in this story would be actual pureblood vampires and Rasetsu would be known as vampires that were turned by purebloods but previously they were once humans.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

**Kiss Of Snow**

**By: LadySwanna**

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

**Chapter 4: Unforeseen Revelations**

"Yukimura-kun, I've brought some warm water and more clean cloths for you," the mortal man, Inoue stated when he placed the pail of water next to them.

"Thank you, Inoue-san. If you don't mind, please wait outside. I need to undress Shinohara-san to clean her wounds," her voice was soft, almost child-like.

"Ah, of course," Inoue gave them both a bland smile before turning on his heels to leave. "Please let me know if you need anything else."

"I will let you know. Thanks again, Inoue-san." With that, the man left the chamber and closed the door for them.

Asuna's eyes were fixated on the pureblood demoness, Chizuru. She attempted to peel off the crimson stained fabric that now adhered to her sword wounds from clotted blood. The way she was disrobing her with such marked care almost made Asuna think she was being cautious. As if she wanted to cause her as minimal pain as possible. For one demon to show tenderness towards another fellow demon was unusual. Senhime was an exception because she wasn't a full-blooded demoness, so harboring human emotions would have been natural for her.

As soon as Chizuru was able to remove the fabric to uncover the injuries on her bare shoulder, she let out a breathless gasp. "Your wounds are still bleeding! The muscle tissue around your lesions are really red and swollen too…I will have to disinfect it after I wash off the blood."

She soaked and twisted the white cloth to squeeze out excess water before returning to Asuna's side, carefully cleansing the lacerations. The sight and scent of her own blood triggered the return of her hunger. There was a burning sensation in her dry throat. It had taken most of Asuna's willpower earlier to not pounce and sink her fangs into one of the mortal men's neck in that room. She was in dire need of blood and she would need it very soon.

"Are you okay, Shinohara-san? Am I hurting you?" Asked the young demoness, her dark brown eyes shone with concern.

Instead of responding to her, Asuna posed a question of her own. "Why are you dressed as a man and residing with mortals?"

Chizuru's eyes widened in surprise from the sudden inquiry. "So you knew I am a girl right from the beginning? Is that why you've been staring at me?"

Asuna wondered if she was really this unsettled that her deception was discovered. It wasn't difficult at all to distinguish Chizuru's true gender at a glance. Her clothing may have been slightly oversized to cover her womanly curves, but she couldn't conceal her copious femininity. Besides, shouldn't this demoness be warier of exposing her presence to humans instead?

When Chizuru noticed that Asuna hadn't said anything in response, she continued. "I'm in a similar situation to yours, Shinohara-san, I've traveled to Kyoto to search for my missing father. One night I ran into some ronin and I was saved by the Shinsengumi. Hijikata-san understood my circumstances and he has kindly allowed me to stay with them until I can find my father. In return, since there are no other females living here, I must dress as a man so that I don't create a disturbance within the group."

"Hijikata-san?"

Chizuru washed the imbrued cloth in the bucket of murky blood water. "Yes, Hijikata-san is one of the Vice-Commanders of the Shinsengumi. He's the man with long hair."

Asuna remembered the man with long black hair that fell to his lower back. Last night when she had met him for the first time, he had regarded her with those violet eyes that were as sharp as the gleaming blade of a sword. Undoubtedly he had considered her to be a potential threat to his human allies, and he wasn't far from the truth. Asuna could still bring serious harm to these mortals if the last of her self-restraint crumbled.

This morning when he had been so adamant on removing her shawl to inspect her injuries, his intense gaze pierced her with a physical force she had felt all the way down her spine. She wasn't able to identify the look with her limited understanding of mankind, but it felt different than the hostility of yesterday.

"Do they know about your true nature?" Asuna asked when Chizuru returned to her side once again, to clean the remaining bloodstain on her skin before bandaging the wounds.

Blinking rapidly, Chizuru froze at her question. Her tone sounded uncertain as she assisted Asuna to readjust her attire. "About my true nature? I'm not quite sure if I fully understand your question, Shinohara-san…"

Asuna gripped onto Chizuru's small wrist so abruptly that the young demoness was caught by surprise and her mouth fell open. Asuna leaned closer until their faces were only an inch apart and she spoke in a displeased manner.

"You know exactly what I am talking about. You and I are the same kind, so you can drop your act around me. I could feel your aura the moment I walked into that room."

Chizuru's eyes appeared overly large and bright. "Shinohara-san, I really don't know what you mean by that and can you please let go of my wrist? You're hurting me…"

Eyes narrowed, Asuna tightened her hold even more forcibly, causing Chizuru to wince and whimper in pain. Asuna felt rather exhilarated not only by the pungent metallic scent heavy in the air, but she could also sense the heightened fear from this young demoness. With her sobriety dwindling, such an experience pleased her demonic side immensely.

Asuna picked up one of the dirtied cloths dampened with blood water and held it close between them as she spoke, "Are you not feeling stimulated by the sight of blood? Or do the mortal men let you feed on them regularly to sate your yearning?"

"Shinohara-san, you're not making any sense. What are you saying? You're starting to scare me," Chizuru's lips began to tremble.

"Were you the one who turned those three humans?"

"W-what? No!" Chizuru tried to free herself from the firm grip with all her might. She appeared shaken, but it was the sight of tears brimming in her eyes that pulled Asuna out of her violent excitement. "Just stop this, please!"

Asuna blinked. A deep frown crossed her face as soon as she regained some of her humane senses. She was furious at herself for relinquishing her self-control. Not desiring to hurt nor frighten the young demoness any further, Asuna pushed her away with a rough shove at the shoulder and caused her to stumble back.

"Leave."

Stock-still, Chizuru stared at her with wide eyes, obviously confused by the whole event and her strange behavior. "Shinohara-san…?"

Asuna glared back with heated fierceness, and raised her voice this time, "I said leave!"

Chizuru scurried out of the room in a haste, leaving Asuna by herself as she turned her back to the door that had been left wide open. But her momentary isolation did not last when Souji walked in.

"What happened in here?" He asked in a stern voice. "Why did Chizuru-chan leave in such a hurry?"

With her back still facing him, her heart was racing and it was pounding furiously within her chest. Asuna's hands grasped at the blanket underneath her palms and dug her nails into the fibers. Her eyes were now shifting back and forth from blood red to green-blue. She was fully aware that her fragile control was about to shatter.

"Stay away from me," came a feeble warning. It was her last attempt to set this man free and allow him to walk out of this room unharmed.

Defying her warning, she heard his approaching footsteps as he came closer. The instant she felt his hand placed on her shoulder, all her restraints snapped. The man was dumbfounded when Asuna made a grab for his hand and flipped him over, throwing him down onto the tatami mat hard. Before he had the opportunity to rise, she was already straddling him. Asuna's raven hair spilled over her shoulders, surrounding him in a silken curtain. He was breathless for a fleeting moment, then his lips curved upward as she felt his body start to relax under hers.

"For a girl who doesn't want to be touched, you sure do contradict yourself," he commented in a deeper tone with no hint of fear. His emerald eyes darkened, catching hers as they held her gaze. With a hand lifted upward, he gently wrapped her long locks of hair around his fingers to feel the softness. "Does that mean I have skin privileges now?"

"No you do not," Asuna answered coldly, gripping his wrists with her hands and securing them above his head. She wanted to ensure he wouldn't be able to struggle against her.

"You are bold, mounting a man like this in broad daylight." As if he was pleased with her seemingly brazen action, the smirk on his face grew. "Now that you have me under you, what are you going to do to me, Asuna-chan?"

Instead of giving a response, Asuna lowered herself until her lips were lightly brushing against his neck. Her sharp fangs extended completely, eager for a bite. With a quick flick of her tongue, she licked his skin and tasted a hint of saltiness. She felt him taking a short intake of breath when she did that.

Purebloods' saliva had a special substance that could alleviate the inflicted pain for the humans that they preyed on. It made them less likely to put up a fight during the feeding. The tempo of his pulse increased against her lips, it made her heart come to a lurching stop and her eyes were glowing crimson red. Asuna became feverish with anticipation. At last she sank her canines into his neck, breaking through the skin as the warm liquid ran down her throat.

The sense of imperative satisfaction was staggering for her demonic side. Asuna felt her thirst for blood began to quench and her hunger was slowly subsiding. She was regaining her strength slowly as she fed on this human, new energy surged through her body. His blood was tepid and revitalizing. But there was one other thing she also tasted in it.

Sickness.

**X X X**

A knock came at Hijikata's chamber door. He answered the knocking without diverting his attention away from what he was presently doing at his desk. "Come in."

The screen door slid open and Saito stood by the entrance with a tray in his hands. "The sake has been warmed up."

"Good. Thank you, Saito."

Saito entered into the room and placed the tray down on the table. He stayed and watched as Hijikata prepared the Ishida powdered medicine from the glass bottle. It was his folk remedy, produced by Hijikata's family. It was well known to heal lacerations and wounds when taken with sake, speeding up the healing process.

"What are your plans for the girl?" Saito asked casually. As subtle as it may have been, Hijikata could sense his budding curiosity.

Saito was a reticent man, he much preferred to remain solitary than to be in the company of others. Hijikata was fully aware of his friend's unfathomed devotion towards the group and himself. Time after time he had carried out Hijikata's orders and had performed his duties with remarkable efficiency. He was the type of man who would comply with given commands without questioning. Hence it was even more unusual for Saito to show concern over the fate of an unknown woman whom he had just met.

"I will decide that later once she recovers from her injuries," Hijikata chose to respond with a vague answer. "But it's rare to see you concerning yourself over an outsider, Saito."

Saito's face remained blank when he answered. "I find her background to be suspicious. No normal person would bear and endure such wounds without so much as breaking a sweat. Her level of calmness is abnormal, she is no ordinary girl to me."

His friend had made a good observation. There was something lethally quiet about her that seemed unnatural.

Hijikata turned to Saito and nodded. "I agree with you, so I intend to ask more questions once she gets better."

Being punished by his guilty conscience, Hijikata still blamed himself for not noticing her sustained injuries sooner. She could have died because of him. Now he only wanted to do what he could and help to advance her recovery. This was his main priority.

The truth was Hijikata hadn't come to a conclusion about this woman yet. There was so much they didn't know about her in regards to her mysterious background and where she had come from. Most important of all, why she'd had such immense expertise in these so called Rasetsu still remained unclear. Hijikata was inclined to find out more about her once she got better. They would just have to keep a close eye on her in the meantime. For now he didn't see the possible harm in allowing her to stay here until her wounds healed.

There came another faint knock at the door that was left wide open. Chizuru stood by the doorway as she waited patiently for permission before inviting herself into the room.

"Yukimura, please come in," said Hijikata while finishing off the preparation of the powered medicine and placed it on the same tray. "How are her injuries?"

"Shinohara-san's wounds are really deep and inflamed, but I've already disinfected the lesions so she should be fine for now," Chizuru paused briefly before she spoke again with hesitation. "Her wounds are very even and smooth. Judging from the depth of them, her injuries seem to be inflicted by swords."

Hijikata and Saito exchanged knowing glances at that very moment. It was Saito who spoke his mind first. "Even if the rogues hadn't completely lost their minds last night, they still wouldn't have had the capability to injure her."

He understood Saito's opinion very well, he had been there to witness her substantial strength when she'd clashed blades with his friends. If both Souji and Saito with their combined force had failed to stop her from killing Juro right before them, then sustaining injuries from mindless Rasetsu would also be a highly unlikely scenario. The young woman could have been engaged in a battle or she could have been chased down and injured by her enemies. There were infinite possibilities for the cause of her wounds. This revelation only succeeded in magnifying their concerns.

"Is there something else that you would like to tell me?" Hijikata asked the girl who appeared to be a little frazzled. His unanticipated question startled her, and her eyes grew momentarily large.

Chizuru straightened her back as she continued standing by the doorway. She shook her head at him almost too eagerly. "N-no. There's nothing else, Hijikata-san."

"Is that so?" Hijikata's stare lingered for a little while longer, not buying her lies.

He wasn't particularly excellent in reading others' expressions and know precisely of what they were thinking. However, in the short time they had gotten the opportunity to know Chizuru better, she was quite a straightforward and transparent girl. Anyone with an ounce of awareness would be able to read her like a book. Right now he could tell there was something that she was unwilling to share with them, but he didn't want to force it out of her either. Hijikata trusted her judgment. He was confident that she would confide in him if she believed the matters would affect any members of the Shinsengumi in a negative way.

"Thank you for your help, Yukimura," Hijikata spoke again, deciding to drop the topic. "You may return to your own duties now."

They watched as the girl bowed and dismissed herself from the room before he turned to Saito. "We should go and check up on her now."

Wordlessly, Saito nodded and picked up the tray from the table. He followed after Hijitaka as they strolled down the corridor located outdoors, towards the small chamber where the woman was confined in. Both men's sense of alert heightened when they discovered the door had been left open and Souji wasn't outside guarding their captive as instructed. She may have escaped without their awareness.

As they approached the doorway, Hijikata saw both of them were actually inside the chamber. The woman was straddling Souji with her face buried in his neck. At first glance, the two looked as if they were sharing an intimate moment. That was his initial assumption until she sensed their presence and turned her head to look at them. Her eyes were glowing scarlet red, and her sharp fangs were coated with Souji's blood. She no longer looked human to him.

Snapping out of his horror, Hijikata instantly unsheathed his sword. He swooped forward and swung his blade at her, forcing her to back away from Souji. She leaped backward and balanced herself on her limbs with feline-like agility. Hijikata kept the tip of his sword at her as she gradually rose to her feet.

A trail of blood was trickling down the corner of her lips. She wiped it off her chin with a palm before running her tongue over her hand to lick the blood. Her eyes were closed as she was visibly taking in the pleasure from the taste of blood. Her behavior was sensually feral. There was an explicit dark hunger under her skin. The next moment she opened her eyes, they were the color of aquamarine blue again.

"Saito, check on Souji to see if he's alright," Hijikata ordered, keeping his gaze on the woman and prepared to strike her down if needed.

With his own weapon drawn out already, Saito hurried over to Souji who was still lying on the mat, unmoving. From the corner of his eye, Hijikata could see Souji was in a half-conscious state and he appeared to be in a trance.

"Your weapon cannot hurt me," she proclaimed with her usual calmness, pushing the blade away with her fingers.

"So you're also a Rasetsu too. That's why you have such intimate knowledge about them," Hijikata said sharply. His voice may have been composed but deep down he was seething with rage to see that this woman had hurt his friend.

"Don't group me in with those inferior beings, I am a pureblood demon." There was unmistakable pride in her tone.

"Saito, how is Souji doing?" He asked without turning his attention away from her.

Saito was supporting Souji's limp body when he answered, "He seems fine but he's in a daze."

"Take him back to his room immediately and watch over him."

There was a brief second of hesitance from Saito, obviously uncomfortable with the idea of leaving Hijikata alone with the demoness. But he complied anyway without uttering another word and assisted Souji in rising, half carrying the man out of the door.

As soon as the men left the chamber, he spoke again. "Why did you attack Souji?"

"I was injured by a demon slaying blade. I needed blood to speed up the healing of my wounds and to regain my strength," came the matter of fact response that caused Hijikata's muscles to stiffen.

"Did you turn him?"

It was a foreboding question that Hijikata was almost too afraid to ask. Although Souji's unwavering loyalty was mostly directed at Kondo, he had also been committed to Hijikata during all these years of their friendship. Souji had been more than just a childhood friend, he was like a younger brother to him. Hijikata wasn't sure if he could bring himself to take down Souji if he had turned into one of those bloodthirsty creatures that they were ordered to eliminate.

"No. I only fed on him. It's not life threatening for him as I did not drain him of all his blood."

Hijikata let out a breath that he wasn't aware he had been holding in. He felt relief course through him upon hearing her answer. But he knew he would still have to validate the truthfulness of her words and wait until Souji regained full consciousness first. Meanwhile he would have to figure out what he should do with this demoness that he had unknowingly brought back to their headquarters.

As insane as it may have sounded, somehow Hijikata had never once sensed animosity from her since they had met. She'd had the chance and could have taken the lives of his two friends during last night's battle but she hadn't. Instead she had chosen to hold back. But even so, the fact that she was a dangerous demoness who fed on human blood still remained. She would have to be confined for the time being.

"You are to stay in this room until I can confirm Souji is unharmed," Hijikata ordered, making sure his authoritative tone wasn't missed. He turned towards the door, leaving the demoness behind.

"If I really want to leave this place, you think you humans can stop me?" She asked as she turned her head to watch his retreating form. Her eyes were glinting unrelentingly.

"You can try, but it will be damn well over my dead body," Hijikata informed her, and he had meant every word. He wasn't planning to let her walk out of here without putting up a fight.

"And do you think that I would not end your existence?" The demoness challenged impassively and continued to hold his stare. She never once looked away.

"I know you wouldn't hesitate to do so, but if I'm sent to hell I'll make sure to bring you with me."

**X X X**

**AUTHOR NOTE:**

Hey guys, sorry for the bit of delay. I was actually quite busy this weekend and didn't have a chance to finish this chapter. But I want to say a big thank you to all of you! I'm over the moon to hear that so many of you are actually enjoying Asuna's character! It makes me so proud of her, hehe!

Please let me know what you think of this chapter, all feedback and comments are welcome. Kudos are always appreciated, of course.

Finally there was some bloodsucking going on and now that Hijikata found out she was a demoness, what's going to happen next?!

Please stay tune for next chapter! See you soon.

 **P.S.** You guys totally gotta watch Captain America, it was AMAZING!


	5. An Unfeeling Demoness

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hakuoki. This amazing anime was created by Asuka Yamazaki, Kazuhiko Hasegawa and Mitsutoshi Ogura. I only created my Asuna.

**_Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)_ **

_Rated_ _**Teen** _ _for violence, blood, coarse language and / or sexually suggestive scenes (rating_ _will_   _eventually_   _change to **Mature** in the future as story progresses, readers have been advised)._

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

**Kiss Of Snow**

**By: LadySwanna**

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

**Chapter 5: An Unfeeling Demoness**

Many hours passed by since the morning's bloody incident, and soon the moon illuminated the cold winter night. It must have been late in the evening by now since Asuna couldn't hear much movements from humans nearby. A perilous tension in the air surrounded her; she was back in the same room that she'd been summoned to for questioning. But instead of having to face a full inquisition from the previous group of men, only two men, Saito and Hijikata were present.

Asuna chose to seat herself exactly opposite of Hijikata, the man who appeared to be a high-ranking leader. She was not shaken by his fierce stare but from the close proximity, she could feel this man's contained fury. He had every right to be furious for what she had done; for the harm that she'd brought to his ally.

"You said you're a full-blooded demon, how are you any different than Rasetsu?" His strident question hit her like a forceful strike.

Asuna was a proud pureblood. Earlier she had arrogantly proclaimed to this man not to group her in with the Rasetsu. In reality, she'd truly acted no different than those mindless creatures that she'd had been so determined to destroy. She was livid with herself for having to become a slave to her own desires and losing control.

When he noticed she refused to share her most private thoughts by remaining silent, he continued pressing. His voice was commanding; it was appropriate given the anger that she currently sensed from him. "After what you did to Souji, I think it's about time you be completely honest with us about your identity."

"Demons don't need human blood to live," Asuna began slowly in her usual calm demeanor. "But sometimes we have a strong craving for it so we will seek out for mortals at times."

"Is that why there were mutilated bodies drained of blood across the city?" asked Saito, his fixed stare on her was just as critical.

"We only yearn for a taste, it would be unusual for us to take lives during our feedings. Most purebloods are careful to avoid unnecessary deaths so they don't expose themselves."

"Even so, how have demons been able to conceal themselves from the world for so long with their continuous attacks on humans?" Hijikata probed further. His voice was now low and rough, as if caught on the edge of a growl.

"We have trance-inducing abilities. The moment we sink our fangs into humans, they're so overwhelmed by the sensation they become unaware of their loss of blood. Weak-minded humans would wake up the next day with the marks, but they would have no recollection of the incident."

Asuna awaited for him to grimace in disgust, just like all the other humans that she'd come in contact with since she had been a child. She still remembered the look of blatant revulsion the villagers had given her when they had cornered her in the woods like a trapped animal that one night. The way they'd looked at her made Asuna feel as if she was the personification of wickedness and sheer evil.

To her surprise, she was unable to read Hijikata since his expression remained neutral. A part of her wondered if this mortal found her presence to be abhorrent at all. He even diverted the conversation and suddenly asked, "This morning you said you don't have any family or relatives. What happened to your family?"

"Like most of the pureblood demons, my parents were annihilated by humans many years ago through a genocide." Asuna didn't elaborate, trying not to reopen the old wound the memory brought. Nothing could change what happened.

Her unfaltering answer seemed to have made him draw his eyebrows together. And that irritated her. The last thing Asuna would have wanted was pity or sympathy coming from a mortal man.

"You must hate humans then if your whole family had been massacred by our race," Saito's comment may have appeared to be casual, but his tone had an edge to it.

It was true. For some crimes forgiveness was impossible and vengeance was the only cure. And sometimes the use of brute strength was the only method to exact justice.

Perhaps if it wasn't for her guardian's intervention during her childhood, then yes, Asuna would have been led astray and be consumed by her own feelings of vengefulness towards mortals. Now she only preferred a normal, quiet and peaceful life while residing in the heart of the forest away from the outside world.

"Presently I don't hold any special feelings towards you humans. I don't care enough about the distasteful deeds enacted by mortals long ago to carry out my personal vengeance against your race if that is what you are asking."

"How did you-"

"I don't want to speak about my past anymore," she interrupted Saito, fully aware of what he'd wanted to ask. Her gaze rested on Hijikata as she spoke. "I don't see how it'd hold any relevance to you either."

Explanation was pointless. Any further discussion of her family lineage or her background would be meaningless to these men. Asuna's history served no purpose to the matter at hand, and she certainly did not want to share that part of her life with anyone.

"I have a proposition for you," Hijikata made a sudden declaration without pushing further. "I will grant you permission to stay here while you heal your wounds and search for your comrade. In return, you must assist us with the Rasetsu."

So ultimately he only wanted to take advantage of her demon powers for their benefit. How typically narcissistic of these mortals.

"Are you really so desperate that you seek help from a demon?" Her tone barely veiled her contempt. She was waiting for an outright denial from him.

"Frankly, yes."

Once again, his impetuous honesty surprised Asuna. His actions were the opposite of what she had expected of him. This mortal man's erratic behavior really confused her.

He continued, "It's not just that we have a mission to complete, but bodies have been piling up and we have yet to come across a single rogue ourselves. The longer we take to eliminate these Rasetsu, the more families will suffer."

Asuna couldn't tell if he was being sincere with his words or not. But in that instant, the face of the widowed woman flashed through her mind again. She'd been the reason why Asuna had been so keen on killing the Rasetsu despite her injuries last night.

"And you are willing to put your men at risk with me even after what happened?"

"Since you claimed you don't require human blood to survive, I can safely assume that you will have more self-restraint in the future. I'm sure that as a pureblood demon, you won't repeat what happened with Souji this morning."

His calculated response caused Asuna to press her lips tightly together. She was vexed with how this man could see through and divulge her flaws with ease. He was obviously using her own weakness as a prideful demoness against her.

"And what if I attack one of you again?" she challenged deliberately.

"Then our proposition will be off immediately and I will personally mark you as my top priority. I don't care how long it'll take me to make it happen, but I will hunt you down and kill you."

Hijikata's male arrogance was notable for a mortal. His narrowed violet eyes was cold enough to freeze a man from the inside out. Unfortunately for him, Asuna was an immortal; they failed to make her tremble. It was his domineering stubbornness that piqued her interest.

"Why should I agree?"

"I'm sure you'd wanted a place to stay while you undergo your recovery, otherwise you wouldn't have had followed us back here so willingly. Our headquarters can be your safe hideout for now. In the mean time we can also send out men to help you find the person you are looking for. It will be much more efficient compared to you wandering around an unfamiliar city aimlessly without any clue."

His offer was straightforward and practical; something that suited her lone wolf nature and she found herself appreciating it.

"So do we have a deal?"

Asuna nodded, already figuring that her cooperation with the humans would be temporary. She would forsake them as soon as she could find Senhime. She could continue taking out any remaining Rasetsu on her own before returning back to the forest. Her home.

"Due to the controversy of your real identity, the three of us will keep the fact that you are a demoness from the rest of the group. We will tell them that you are staying with us for the time being to provide support and remove the rogues within the city, since you have in-depth knowledge of them," Hijikata explained. He seemed to have already given deeper thought into the whole proposition beforehand.

"Also I am returning these to you," he handed over her swords, returning the two blades that they'd confiscated yesterday. "I'm sure you will be needing them when you face Rasetsu during our patrols."

Asuna picked up the shortsword that had once belonged to Mitsuru. She had taken it with her after she'd slayed the demoness, thinking that one day this sword would become useful.

"How is he?"

There was a momentary pause. It was almost as if her sudden question had caught them off guard and they hadn't expected her to ask about the welfare of the man she had hurt.

Hijikata then answered, "Just as you said, you didn't drain all of his blood so he will live. But he's exhausted from the amount of blood loss and is now resting in bed."

Maybe it was the sudden thickness that she felt at the back of her throat upon hearing that, but a befitting resolution came to her that could prevent her earlier mistake. And this man before her would be the best person to help carry it out.

"This is a demon slaying sword, my wounds were inflicted by it," Asuna placed the shortsword back down and slid it across to Hijikata. The look in his violet eyes indicated he wasn't quite following her.

"Injured or not, I am still a full-blooded demon and your human strength will be no match for mine. You will be able to hurt me with this blade. I won't give you a reason to use it, but you may keep it with you during my stay here," she explained further, ensuring this man understood the full implication of what he was getting himself into when he suggested a coalition with a demoness.

Hijikata moved his gaze from her to the blade. It took him a few seconds to process his inner thoughts before he lifted his head to meet her gaze again. This time, his hard eyes somehow seemed to have softened reasonably.

"We will prepare a room for you further away from the main camp so troops won't be aware of your existence," he announced, which suited Asuna just fine as she much preferred minimal contact with humans anyway.

Assuming that was all there was for them to discuss, she took her sword and abruptly rose from the floor in an attempt to leave the room. The fair amount of interaction she'd had with these humans in one day had far exceeded her comfort zone. She wished to be left alone for the remainder of the night.

"Wait, there's one more thing," Hijikata called out, halting her steps at the doorway. Asuna waited for him to finish without turning around. "You will need to disguise yourself as a man just like Chizuru so your presence as a woman wouldn't disrupt order within Shinsengumi."

"You are mistaken about something." This time, she turned around and looked at him past her shoulder; her voice was cold as stone. "I agreed to assist your men and eliminate Rasetsu for my own personal reasons. I also agreed to your arrangement of an isolated room for me because it would be my preference to stay away from mortals. But those are the limits of my cooperation. I do not take commands from neither demons nor humans. If you have an issue with this, then our agreement will be voided."

After making sure this man fully understood the fact that he was in no position to give her any orders, Asuna then promptly exited the room without a second glance.

**X X X**

The next morning came quickly. Asuna rose from the tatami mat that she had been resting on and scrutinized her new chamber. The layout and decoration of this simple room was more or less the same as the last one. The location was definitely much further out and more secluded, which she welcomed as it gave her more privacy. Even with her increased hearing, she could barely detect any noise from the humans' activities within the compound unlike yesterday.

Asuna walked towards the entrance and slid open the screen door. A blast of crisp cold air greeted her immediately. Perfectly aware of another presence, she took a glimpse to her right and saw a young man with long brown hair tied up in a ponytail sat against the exterior wall of her room. If she remembered correctly from yesterday, his name should be Heisuke. He looked up and his blue-green eyes met hers.

Perhaps it was the quiet, inquiring look that she'd been giving him, but he suddenly said, "Hijikata-san instructed all the Captains to take turns keeping an eye on you."

She had a suspicion that the man wasn't so much worried about Asuna breaking away as her attacking his men for blood. Asuna ventured another look at the young man with a blade strapped to his waist, but it wasn't the demon slaying sword. Wouldn't it have been more sensible and discerning of Hijikata to arm his allies with a weapon that could at least hurt her while keeping her under surveillance? Or was he simply testing her willpower and using his men as bait? No doubt he was one mortal whom she would never truly understand even if she tried.

Asuna gazed up at the cloudless, grey sky that lacked of horizon, and inhaled the chilling, cold air. Before her was the view of a scanty garden with a glaze of white snow over sleek rocks and stone lanterns. A tall, burly tree that had lost its leaves stood solemn and brilliant. It reminded her of the days in the forest when she'd ascended to the top of soaring trees as a pastime. She would take pleasure in the scenery of green and be awed by the vibrant spring and autumn foliage; she would immerse herself in the tranquility of the natural surroundings from the treetop and keep a lookout for animals that were at home in the shared forest below.

"That is a cherry blossom tree," Heisuke said, interrupting her reminiscing of days gone by. "You've been staring at it for quite a while, I thought you didn't know."

"Cherry blossom tree?" she repeated almost inaudibly as her mind tried to recall if she had ever seen one before. Even if she had, she wouldn't have known the tree species names.

"The flowers would bloom usually at the end of March or the beginning of April, it's quite a view when they bloom," he commented with a lift of his lips.

Asuna doubted she would have the opportunity to witness it since it'd be highly unlikely for her to stay with the humans for another three to four months. It would have been a pleasant experience if she could see a tree that bloomed flowers instead of leaves at least once. She wondered what color of bloom this tree would harbor when the right time came.

"I heard from Hijikata-san that you will be staying with us and give us a hand with the rogues," he studied her for a moment when she remained wordless. "Just like Saito-kun, you're not much of a conversationalist, huh?"

At the mention of the name, Saito appeared as he walked next to Kondo, whom they all seemed to respect and follow. Both men had trays in their hands and were striding down the exterior hallway towards her.

"Speak of the devil," Heisuke commented, watching the approaching men and stood on his feet. "Is that my lunch tray? Good, I'm starving!"

"How are you feeling today, Shinohara-san?" Kondo asked with a smile, wrinkles appearing around his eyes. "You must be hungry, we brought you some food."

Asuna took a quick look at the tray and grew disinterested. Not that she couldn't eat normal human food but as a pureblood, she didn't get hungry and had no basic human needs. For that reason alone, she had never consumed food and drinks from the mortal world before. As long as Asuna sated her yearning for human blood sporadically then it would be sufficient for her.

"I'm not hungry. I don't need food."

"Nonsense. You haven't eaten anything the entire day yesterday and you're also injured, you need your energy to recover," Kondo lectured her in a familiar manner that reminded Asuna of her late guardian. "And look at you. You're too underdressed for a cold weather like this. You will get sick easily if you're not careful."

"I'm fine."

Kondo frowned, apparently not satisfied with her persisting adamancy. "This morning Toshi mentioned you will be staying with us to track down Rasetsu in Kyoto. I wanted to show you my gratitude for your assistance in person. Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me. I will leave here once I find who I'm searching for whether the city would be rid of Rasetsu or not," her response was so matter-of-fact that he mistook it as resentment.

"You guys can stand here and talk all you want but I'm going to dig in first, I'm starving to death over here," Heisuke complained with a visual scowl and reached for the tray that Saito had been holding.

"You must be growing restless from being cooped up in here," Kondo commented with an exasperated sigh when he turned his attention back to Asuna again. "I don't know what Toshi is thinking locking you up in a room when you've already agreed to help us. This isn't the way to treat our guest and show our hospitality. I will definitely talk to him about it."

"Then why don't we just let her eat with us in the room? I don't want to eat alone out here either," Heisuke was the one who came up with the bold suggestion.

"That's right!" Kondo stated with unnecessary excitement. "Shinohara-san, please join us for lunch. That way you can get to know the other Captains better since you'll all be working together once your wounds are healed."

Asuna stole a glance at Saito who stood behind the men and had been watching her reaction in silence. He gave her a weak nod when their gazes met. Somehow she had a feeling that the Vice Commander would be quite displeased to see his group of allies associating with a demoness.

**X X X**

Hijikata entered into the room where lunch would be served. A few of them were already inside waiting for the arrival of the others. He had expected to see Sanosuke, Shinpachi, Inoue and Sannan present, but he was far from content to see that Souji was also in the room.

"What are you doing out of your bed?" Hijikata demanded immediately, not even bothering to hide the annoyance in his tone.

Souji turned and gave him a sardonic grin, "I'm feeling much better today, so quit trying to confine me to my room, Hijikata-san."

"Are you sure you're feeling well enough to be up and about, Souji?" asked Shinpachi with concern. Hijikata took the chance to settle down at his usual spot.

"I'm fine," Souji waved his hand dismissively in the air. "Migraine's gone already."

To mask the unsettling truth of Souji being attacked by a demoness inside their headquarters, Hijikata had told rest of the group that Souji had been ill as a cover up. A part of him felt guilty for withholding information from his friends. Friends whom he had fought side by side with and gone through many situations together; life and death, thick and thin.

Some may not agree with his decision, but one reason he had decided to make a deal with the demoness even though he was still uncertain about her was because of her demonic ability. Their mission had been at a standstill for several weeks already and the progress had reached nowhere but a dead-end. As a demon, she possessed the capability to track down Rasetsu, which was proving to be more than useful for their situation. Another reason he had chosen not to disclose the truth of her true identity was because he didn't want to create conflict within the Shinsengumi.

Hijikata was very mindful of the fact that once they learned the truth about the attack, they would possibly want the woman dead. And he didn't want to kill her. Especially after last night when he had uncovered a part of her hidden past which she had seemed very reluctant to share. Hijikata had never been this close to a full-blooded demon, at least not to his awareness anyway. It seemed as if they were rare enough that they didn't mingle with humans after the slaughtering of their race had happened many years ago. Asuna Shinohara was a young demoness but there was nothing untried about her. Hijikata couldn't help but wonder if the rest of her race looked just as ruthless as she did; as cold and unfeeling.

But if she was a cold-hearted demoness that only preyed on humans for their blood then she wouldn't have cared about Souji's well-being after she'd attacked him. Nor would she have given him a weapon that could cause harm to her, putting herself at a disadvantage with them. Although Hijikata may not have been able to take her down, he was confident that he could at least inflict some wounds on her. The injuries would still have been problematic for her and she really didn't have to expose her own weakness to him like this.

 _Underneath all that cold exterior, could there really be nothing humane about her?_ Hijikata pondered to himself.

"If you're feeling fine then what's with the scarf? I've almost never seen you wear one," Sanosuke observed, his eyes were full of suspicion.

"In case I'm coming down with a cold, I don't want it to get worse," Souji gave an offhand statement as he readjusted the scarf, making sure to cover the fang marks. He had remembered the event of the attack with clarity.

Kondo, Saito and Heisuke finally entered the room, and behind them trailed the demoness. Hijikata instantly became alert. "Why is she here?"

"It's alright, Toshi. I asked Shinohara-san to join us for lunch," Kondo replied, gesturing her to take a seat.

Without hesitating, she sat down. As soon as she realized Souji was next to her, their eyes locked for a long moment. While Souji was giving her his usual smirk, her expression remained unreadable. Saito then placed the food tray down for her and took a place to her right. Chizuru came in with two more trays while everyone else got seated.

"Shinohara-san is our guest, we have to treat her more cordially," Kondo continued with his preaching as soon as he settled in between Hijikata and Sannan.

Failing to come up with a reasonable retort as to why she shouldn't be eating with them, Hijikata stayed quiet with a noticeable frown.

"That's fantastic. Now we have two pretty girls to eat with us," said Shinpachi as he barked a satisfied laugh.

"You have a change of heart way too fast, Shinpachi," Heisuke commented next to him. "It was only yesterday that you said Asuna-chan was creeping you out."

"You have to stop living in the past, kid," Shinpachi chided. "Besides, we will be on patrols together soon, we might as well try to get along now."

"Women will be the death of you one day," Heisuke shook his head at him disapprovingly.

"That would be a pleasant way to go," Sanosuke remarked with a grin before turning to Chizuru beside him. "Wouldn't you agree, Chizuru?"

The girl stuttered, evidently not as comfortable with the topic. "I…I don't know. Maybe?"

While those four were engaged in their own conversation, Sannan glanced over to the demoness. "Shinohara-"

"You can all just call me Asuna," she cut his sentence short. Perhaps this demoness not only resented the idea of submitting herself and knuckling under someone, she also disliked formality and honorifics.

Sannan nodded, his lips curved. "Asuna, I am grateful for your offer of assistance to help the Shinsengumi. Thank you."

Instead of giving a response that others expected from her, she remained naturally speechless.

Kondo cleared his throat. "Alright, food is getting cold. Let's eat first."

When everyone started eating from their trays, Hijikata noted how her gaze were fixed on hers. Interesting. He wondered if she could even eat human food. From the sound of it, blood seemed to be their strictly preferred diet.

"You don't have to eat it if this is not your standard of food," Hijikata tried to indicate with discretion, convinced that she would understand his innuendo.

"I can eat this," she gave a short reply as she looked up.

Their eyes lingered longer than necessary and she was likely aware of that. She was the first to avert her gaze and focused her attention on the tray of food again. Hijikata noticed she was studying others' hand motions briefly before picking up her own pair of chopsticks. When she tried to secure a firm grip with her right hand, the utensil fell from her hold. The clattering sound caught the men by surprise as they looked her way.

"Is everything alright, Asuna-kun?" Kondo asked, worried.

"Her wounds must be causing her pain right now," said Souji, trying to fabricate an excuse for her on the spot.

Kondo nodded as if he understood. "I see. Take your time to eat then, don't rush."

Everyone continued eating and the trio began chattering away again. Saito used the fleeting opportunity while others were distracted to teach her the proper way to hold chopsticks. His voice was deliberately low as he showed her how to pick up food with his left hand and she watched with keen interest. He lifted a piece of tofu in front of her and to Saito's bewilderment, she moved in closer and sealed her lips around his utensil, eating from _his_ chopstick. Startled, Saito widened his eyes while others who witnessed the shocking event began their mockery.

"Am I seeing things or did Saito just feed a girl?! It's _Saito_ whom we're talking about here, right?" Shinpachi was the first to start the teasing.

"Saito, I didn't know you have it in you to be such a gentleman towards women too," Sanosuke added, then he turned to Chizuru. "Don't worry, Chizuru. If you ever get sick or injured, then I will come to you every day and feed you too."

Chizuru blushed and looked down at her own bowl of rice.

Instead of being flustered with embarrassment, the demoness only slightly drew her eyebrows together and chewed slowly, savoring the foreign taste in her mouth. "What is it?"

"It's Agedashi tofu," Saito answered quietly once he recovered from his stun.

"Looks like even Saito has fallen under your spell," Souji remarked, his wicked smirk returning again. "It's not fair that you only let him feed you. I want to feed you too, Asuna-chan."

Seeing Souji inch closer towards her with another piece of tofu made Hijikata flip with anger. "Enough! Stop horsing around and eat. You Captains still have a day's worth of duties waiting for you after lunch."

Silence fell upon the room as the men lowered their heads and turned to their meals again. Everyone except the demoness, who glanced over at him and met his gaze evenly. He opened his mouth in a wordless grunt. Suddenly he wasn't so sure if he had made the right choice in granting her permission to stay with the Shinsengumi.

**X X X**

**AUTHOR NOTE:**

Hi everyone, thanks for reading chapter five. This chapter had more interactions between Asuna and Hijikata, which was quite fun to write. You get a glimpse of Asuna's past but more will be revealed as story progresses.

Thank you for those of you who have left me such great comments / kudos, I really appreciate the kind words and gesture. It makes me happy to know readers like my story and I definitely hope you all will continue to support me!

I hope to see you all again soon.


	6. Distrust

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hakuoki. This amazing anime was created by Asuka Yamazaki, Kazuhiko Hasegawa and Mitsutoshi Ogura. I only created my Asuna.

**_Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)_ **

_Rated **Teen** for violence, blood, coarse language and / or sexually suggestive scenes (rating  will eventually change to Mature as story progresses, readers have been advised)._

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

**Kiss Of Snow**

**By: LadySwanna**

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

**Chapter 6: Distrust**

Souji was heading towards Asuna’s chamber since it was time for his afternoon surveillance duty. It’d been a week since Hijikata and Sannan had traveled to Osaka for an assignment. Before they’d left, Hijikata had commanded all the Captains to continue watching her around the clock. Souji felt the man’s concerns over her was unneeded and sorely misplaced. To have a man guarding a demoness was pointless, as he highly doubted she could be stopped if she had truly wanted to take their blood.

Hijikata had also made it no secret that he didn’t trust her or her presence anywhere near the men. The irony was his actions glaringly contradicted this notion when he had allowed her to stay here with the Shinsengumi. 

 _That is Hijikata Toshizo for you,_ Souji mused to himself with a grin. _A complex and paradoxical man who hides behind the warrior mask._

“Saito-kun, you can take it easy now,” he announced to Saito who stood with his arms crossed and his back against the wall while facing ahead. “I’m here to take over.”

“Thanks,” he didn’t look away from the garden as Souji came closer.

Interested to know what he was staring at, Souji followed Saito’s line of vision and saw Asuna sitting on the stone bench a few feet away. She was looking at the light snow falling down gently from the gray sky, scrutinizing every little snowflake that landed on her uplifted right palm. It was as if she was fascinated by every single form and size. She looked quite at peace. It was hard to believe she was the same demoness who had attacked him a week ago.

“I’m surprised that you would ignore Hijikata-san’s order and let her out of the room,” Souji commented with a smirk, leaning against the wall next to him.

“If she is allowed to dine with us, then I don’t see the harm in letting her to be out in the garden every so often,” came a forthright reply that Souji agreed with.

Hijikata had instructed them to postpone the nightly patrols with Asuna until his return from Osaka, so very soon she would be released from her confinement anyway. But Souji wondered how Hijikata would react when he found out that they had defied his words. Again. Souji always took pleasure in the Demon Vice-Commander’s annoyance. Sometimes Souji would kick it up a notch and became his source of anger by driving him up the wall on purpose. It was hilarious to Souji to see the normally rational and authoritative Hijikata lose his cool.

“According to the letter that Hijikata-san sent, they should be returning today,” stated Souji.

Saito nodded in silence, his mind troubled by thoughts of Sannan and his injuries. Even now, two days since the arrival of Hijikata’s letter, everyone was still very concerned with the grim news that they had received. Apparently the two had been ambushed by a group of masked men during their duties in Osaka. Sannan had sustained deep wounds to his left arm as they’d fought their way out of the death trap.

None of the others wanted to say it, but the prevailing thought was that due to the severity of his injuries, there may be a high possibility that Sannan could never wield a blade again. Could there be a worse fate than this for a samurai warrior? Souji couldn’t help but wonder if there would be anything meaningful enough in his own life to keep him going if the situation was reversed and he couldn’t fight with a sword anymore.

No. Like many of the Shinsengumi members, his life would change to one with unfulfilled dreams; a life that’d become meaningless and Souji would lose all his sense of purpose in his wretched existence.

“I will let you take over since I have some errands to take care of,” Saito’s statement interrupted his repugnant thoughts and prevented Souji from wallowing in self-pity further.

“Aren’t you also on cooking duty today too?” Souji asked casually with a stretch of his arms above his head.

Saito glanced his way for the first time. “What about it?”

Souji grinned knowingly without meeting his eyes. “I assume that means agedashi tofu will be on tonight’s dinner menu _again_?”

“Tofu is an inexpensive, excellent source of protein,” his explanation was short yet logical.

“Are you sure there aren’t other reasons aside from the nutrition value, Saito-kun?”

Saito didn’t blink even once when he said, “Since I’m uncertain where this conversation is leading to, I will take my leave now.”

Souji smirked at Saito’s predictable attempt to dodge the conversation. He turned his attention back to Asuna and walked towards her. This would be the first time he was alone with the demoness since the attack.

As he sat down next to her on the stone bench, her striking cerulean eyes met his briefly. He was fascinated by the tiny flickers of pale silver light that came and went in the darkness of her pupils. Dangerous and untamed, she was the most exotic woman he’d ever seen in his life. Her gaze rested on the scarf wrapped around his neck.

“The bite marks are healing up nicely, they are almost unnoticeable now,” he removed the neckwear and showed her for reassurance.

She tore her gaze away and looked straight ahead as she spoke, “It wasn’t my intention to hurt you.”

Souji almost thought she was feeling remorse for attacking him. Or maybe he was reading too much into every little detail of her minimal reaction.

“It’s not a big deal. Next time just choose a less visible place to bite when you feed on me again,” he answered with a teasing grin.

“There won’t be next time,” she turned to stare at him sharply, her eyes were filled with obvious determination. “I won’t lose control again.”

Souji suddenly felt a lump in his throat and his coughing caught the demoness’ undivided attention.

“You are ill.” It was a blunt statement. “I tasted sickness in your blood.”

Souji knew his health had taken a turn for a worse and his coughing was becoming more frequent and violent; it troubled him and kept him up at nights. He figured with proper rest and medication, he should be able to recover soon.

“It’s just a bad cough I couldn’t rid of since I refuse to be constrained to my bed.”

Asuna remained silent but she held his gaze attentively. Souji found this demoness captivating in a way that he couldn’t understand. The urge to touch her grew again.

“Are you worried about me, Asuna-chan?” He asked with a grin as he leaned his face closer to hers. “If anything happens to me, you can always turn me into a Rasetsu.”

“You would become a creature that lives on human blood for all eternity. For a simple drop of blood you may end up hurting the closest ones around you. Is that the fate you are willing to choose over death?” She tilted her head slightly; her question was full of genuine curiosity as she tried to understand his choice in destiny.

“I’m actually not afraid of death if that is what you are asking. In fact none of the men here are afraid to die.”

They wouldn’t have established the Shinsengumi and put their lives at risk on a daily basis if they’d cared about living to see another day.

“Then why would you want to be turned?”

He found himself saying, “Maybe I find the idea of spending an eternity with Asuna-chan inviting.”

Asuna ignored his comment as her expression remaining impassive. There wasn’t even a hint of blush on her pale face. This demoness was not only attractive, she was as cold a woman as he’d ever met. Souji would have to thaw her out enough to gain information about her lineage. 

“Have you ever turned anyone before?”

“Yes, a mortal man.”

This revelation piqued Souji’s interest. He was curious about her relationship with this man. He must have been important to her from the outset, or she would not have turned him into a Rasetsu.

“What happened after you turned him?” He was momentarily diverted from the seduction of her fair, flawless skin.

“I killed him.” There was no evidence of hesitation in her response.

Her answer may have been void of emotion, but Souji wondered if she had felt anything during the moment when she took the man’s life. More than that, he wanted to know if she _cared_.

“Was he losing control so you decided to end his misery?” asked Souji. The compulsion to reach out and touch her soft hair was so strong, he didn’t bother to resist.

“Why do you always touch me?” She asked instead of responding, calmly retreating away from him. Her long silky raven locks slowly slipped out of his fingers.

Souji wouldn’t deny that a part of him had been infatuated with her the moment he’d laid eyes on her – she had looked beautiful and imposing, two traits that he had never seen together before, but worked extremely well for her.

“Does it make you uncomfortable? Do demons not take pleasure in touching?”

“It is a needless concept to us. We don’t touch unless it is necessary.”

“That’s no way to live. Perhaps I can change your mind,” Souji paid close attention to her reaction at the thought of his implications.

He liked the idea of disturbing this intriguing female on a sensual level, even though as a Captain he had to consider the deeper ramifications of what he’d learned and how it could be used against her if a situation called for it.                       

Asuna rose from the bench abruptly, appearing to be alarmed.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“I smell the scent of blood in the air,” she replied in a calm voice, tilting her head up to take in the scent.

Souji’s first thought was that perhaps a comrade had sustained injuries during training, but he soon discovered that there was an accident when he heard a child crying nearby.

“Stay here,” he commanded Asuna before leaving her unattended as he dashed around the corner of the external corridor, trying to locate the source of the cries.

From behind the bare tree he saw the little boy, Mitsugu Takeshi lying on the ground, bleeding and unconscious.

Souji hurried to Takeshi’s side and checked for a pulse on his neck. Relief instantly washed over him when he found that there was one, indicating that the boy was still alive.

“What happened, Sachi?” Souji asked the younger sister crying beside her older brother’s unmoving body.

“My mo-mother’s handkerchief was blown up the tree by the wind and my brother was tr-trying to climb up the tree to get it back for me. B-but he slipped and fell…is he going to die, Okita-san?!” Her small hands gripped Souji’s arm in desperation for positive reassurance.

Takeshi had quite a deep laceration on his forehead and the cut would need stitching. Souji was also concerned that the boy may have sustained a concussion and some broken bones as well but he would live through his injuries.

Souji gently stroked the girl’s hair back from her tear-streaked face and gave her an assured smile, “Don’t worry, Sachi, your brother will be fine but I need to take him to Chizuru-chan for medical attention right away.”

As Souji carefully reached down and picked up Takeshi’s limp form, he heard Sachi ask, “Who are you?”

He turned and saw Asuna standing before them, her expression unreadable as she focused her attention on the unconscious boy in his arms.

“You shouldn’t be here, Asuna-chan. Return to your chamber now,” Souji urged, worrying that the demoness was experiencing withdrawal cravings at the sight of blood.

She ignored his commands as if she didn’t hear his words and continued to stare at Takeshi. Souji decided to step into her line of vision when he called for her attention with a much firmer and serious tone.

“Asuna.” She snapped out of her trance and blinked at him. “Go back to your chamber immediately.”

Just when he was about to move past her, Hijikata suddenly appeared behind her.

“What happened here?” He demanded, scrutinizing the situation for a moment before glaring at the back of Asuna’s head.

Although the accident caused a severe misunderstanding of the actual situation, the demoness chose to not defend herself at all. Wordless, she attempted to walk away from Hijikata, but he had already retrieved his sword from the scabbard and pointed it at her.

“Care to explain the situation or do I have to force it out of you?” he asked in a dark tone.

She turned to meet his eyes evenly, almost challenging. “You’re quick to draw your sword at me.”

“It was an accident,” Souji quickly interrupted as he stepped in between them, subduing the growing tension as neither side was ready to back down from the other. “We have to tend to Takeshi’s wounds first. I will explain what happened on the way.”

Hijakata hesitated for a brief moment as he took a quick glance at Takeshi before sheathing his blade.  

“Sachi,” Hijakata turned to the little girl who had been hiding behind Souji, peering at the adults from behind his leg. “Come with us to look for Yukimura.”

They hurried towards the main house, leaving the demoness behind as she stayed rooted in place.

**X X X  
**

“How is Takeshi doing?” inquired Hijikata.

“Fortunately his wounds weren’t as deep as I expected, and there appears to be no broken bones either,” Chizuru replied as she finished bandaging his head. “We should let him rest more and minimize his movements when he wakes.”

“Is my brother going to be alright?” Sachi asked as she tugged at Souji’s pants.

“Your brother will be just fine,” Souji patted her head. “The wounds may leave a scar on his forehead but it will be a sign of manly honor.”

Sachi nodded quietly even though Souji was certain that the six year old child was unable to understand men’s honor.

“Okita-san, who was the girl in the garden? I’ve never seen her before.”

Souji crouched beside her and grinned. “She’s pretty, isn’t she?”

Sachi nodded again.

“Her name is Asuna-chan and she is my lover.”

“Lover?” Sachi’s brows knitted together in pure confusion. “What is a lover?”

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting to a child now?!” Hijikata raised his voice and an expression of annoyance was etched across his face.

Souji straightened and simply flashed the Demon Vice-Commander a knowing smirk. He felt delight as Hijikata almost bared his teeth at him.

“And Sachi,” he turned his attention to the child, who was now trembling from fear. “Who gave you permission to play in the South Wing’s garden? You and Takeshi are forbidden to step beyond the South Quarters without my express permission.”

Sachi did not answer or look at Hijikata. Instead, she nodded at a place on the floor.

“Seems like someone is in a bad mood again,” said Souji. “It was _you_ who allowed her to stay here so maybe you should trust her more.”

To Souji’s surprise it seemed that the level of distrust hadn’t lessened a bit, even after he explained the accident to Hijikata. Although his face had somewhat softened a little, if he had felt guilty for presuming that Asuna was responsible for Takeshi’s injuries then he didn’t show it.

“I’m just looking out for all Shinsengumi members. Am I wrong for not wanting the same incident to happen again?”

Souji understood he was referring to the attack and since Chizuru hadn’t learned the truth yet, the men were trying to be more discreet in their discussion.

“Chizuru-chan, what are your opinions of Asuna-chan?”

Chizuru widened her eyes as she realized that she was being looped into the conversation involuntarily. “I don’t know if it’s my place to…In fact, the more I think about it-”

“Chizuru-chan,” Souji said. “Just spit it out. It’s an order.”

She nodded. “I do not know Shinohara-san well enough to pass judgement of her character. But I don’t sense any evil intentions from her.”

When both men remained silent, she continued, “Excuse me if I spoke out of turn.”

“Not at all, Chizuru-chan,” Souji smiled at her. “We can always count on you for an honest opinion.”

Not wanting the child to hear what he was about to say, Souji bent over to Sachi’s level and said, “Don’t worry about your brother. Chizuru-chan will be looking after him so he is under great care. You should go back and join the others now.”

Sachi took one last glance at her unconscious brother in bed, thanked the adults and bowed politely before exiting the room.

Souji then turned his attention to Hijikata once again. “If you distrust her so much then you should just kill her.”

Hijikata stayed silent but his eyes hardened to a familiar impenetrable gaze.

Souji placed a hand on the Vice-Commander’s shoulder and cocked his head to one side, grinning arrogantly at him. “But you can’t bring yourself to kill her, can you?”

Hijikata continued to remain silent.

“If that’s the case then you should try to get along better with her,” he suggested as he waved his hand in the air and headed towards the door, leaving the stubborn samurai to ponder over their conversation.

**X X X  
**

As nightfall came it brought the threat of a coming storm. The bright blue sky had transformed into an ocean of darkness. The hot air was heavy and thick with the scent of blood and sweat.

“Hurry and guard the door! The mortals are searching for Asuna-sama! We must not let them break into the mansion!”

Asuna heard the rising commotion outside. The human troops had rallied together and had come to their home to slay them. She quickly retrieved her family blade and hurried towards the door to aid her parents in battle, but her guardian stepped in her way to stop her.

“Move out of my way, Takeda,” she warned her guardian, reminding him of her authority as the young princess of the Shinohara clan.

The red-haired man stared down at her with matching adamancy, unwilling to sway. “You have to stay here.”

“I have to help my parents.” She attempted to move past him but he grabbed her upper arm, holding her back.

“Asuna, you can’t-”

Suddenly the wooden door slid open and her father entered the room. His clothes were torn and bloody, but he did not appear injured. His hands were covered in blood.

“Father,” Asunna looked behind her father and didn’t see her mother following from behind so she asked, “Where is mother?”

Her father looked away without answering. His expression was one that Asuna had never seen before. In that instant, she knew her mother was not returning. Suddenly she felt as if she was suffocating, drowning with this heavy sensation in her chest.

“Asuna,” her father began. “I want you to leave here with Takeda, he will guard you and protect you from danger.”

“No,” she mustered the strength to speak again. “I will fight alongside you.”

“Don’t be a foolish child!” Her father yelled. “You will only become my distraction if I have to worry about your safety in battle.”

“The mortals are already aware of my existence. Even if I escape now, they won’t stop hunting for me no matter where I go.”

Her father’s face was strangely placid, as if he had already thought of this in advance. It was then, the family’s chief servant and her personal maid, Sen walked into the room. She was dressed in Asuna’s pale yellow kimono and had a grim look of determination on her face. Asuna immediately realized what her father’s plan was.

Her anger surfaced. “No. I am not going to allow her or anyone else to be my substitute.”

“Asuna, listen to me,” Her father called out sternly. “You carry the blood of the Shinohara, you are our only hope. It is your duty to live on and make sure our family lineage does not end with you, understand?”

Asuna met his gaze but she refused to answer. Her father pressed again, “Do you understand?”

“Yes,” came a weak reply.

He placed his hand on her face, his fingers stroking her cheek with such gentleness that she had never experienced from her father before. “Takeda will take good care of you in my absence.”

Her father then quickly turned to walk out the door and back into the battlefield again. Asuna could only stare at her father’s retreating form, and had a feeling that this would be the last time that she’d ever see him again.

“Asuna-sama, you need to leave with Shingen-san before it’s too late,” the chief servant pleaded.

Asuna turned to Sen and grabbed her upper arm. “Leave with us. You don’t have to do this, we can escape together.”

The girl shook her head, her lips curved upward. “This was my choice, Asuna-sama. I would’ve died as a human long time ago if your parents didn’t save me and provide me a new life here. My life belongs to the Shinohara family and now it’s my chance to repay my debt.”

“I don’t need you to sacrifice your life in my place!” Asuna’s voice rose in anger.

“Asuna-sama, it has been my greatest honor to serve you. Even though I was brought back and assigned as your personal maid, you never once treated me like a servant. Thank you for your kindness, I’m so glad we were able to meet.”

An attendant rushed into the room and shouted, “The mortals have broken into the house! Asuna-sama, you must hurry and leave!”

“Asuna, we have to leave now,” Takeda urged.

“No.”

“Asuna-sama, please! You must go with Shingen-san now!”

“I said no, I’m not leaving!”

Takeda picked Asuna up into his arms and carried her as they fled into the garden from the back of the mansion.

“Takeda, put me down! I can’t leave them, I have to go back!”

He ignored her pleas and continued running towards the tall stone walls surrounding the household.

The paper door was quickly closed behind them and she watched the movements of the shadowy figures as a group of men barged into the room.

“No…no! Takeda, let me go!”

From the silhouette, she watched a man lifted his sword above her maid’s head, who remained motionless without struggles as he brought down his weapon and struck her, turning her to ashes. She wanted to scream as the horror of the situation dawned on her, but Takeda’s hand firmly covered her cries as they left silently in the night.

**X X X  
**

Asuna bolted up in panic with beads of sweat coating her forehead, her black kimono clinging tightly against her damp body. Her breathing was loud and heavy but it was her erratic heartbeat that was difficult to control.

 _It was a dream_ , she thought to herself. The same dream that had haunted her since that unforgettable night.

Bright moonlight shone through the closed windows on her far right and it took a moment for her mind to slowly shift back to reality. She suddenly found herself suffocating in this confined chamber.

She had to leave the room.

Knowing that one of the Captains, Shinpachi, was guarding her room until dawn, she teleported up to the rooftop. She sat down soundlessly and breathed in the cold, winter air and gradually felt calmer. With a lift of her chin, she gazed up at the blazing full moon.

Maybe if she stared hard enough, she could forget about the lurid images that plagued her. She felt as if a fist had clenched her heart, as memories of her parents and Sen awakened. Although it had been decades ago, it seemed as if everything had only happened yesterday. It was like a long, tormenting nightmare that Asuna felt trapped in and couldn't wake from. The spirits of the past constantly whispered in her mind.

In the past whenever Asuna had this nightmare, Takeda would take her into his arms and soothe away her pain, promising that he would make things better for her. Takeda had always been by her side every step of the way, and provided her with unlimited support as a guardian that she had unknowingly grown dependent on. But this time it would be different, and it would also never be the same again either.

It had been a long time since she’d had this dream and she wondered what had brought this on again. It may have been the sight of the injured human child today that had reminded her of Sen; or the conversation that she’d had with the Vice-Commander and his Captain days ago when she’d shared a piece of her background with them.

During that conversation Asuna remembered that Saito had wanted to know how she managed to escape from the massacre, and she had evaded the question before he could inquire further. She didn’t want to remember it, didn’t want to relive the moment that Sen had been cut down before she’d had a chance to live, and Asuna had been there to watch her death helplessly.

Now that she thought about it, perhaps it was Senhime’s name and her spirited nature that had reminded her of Sen. Asuna had felt…comfortable around Senhime ever since they had first met. That would also justify her strange sense of commitment in protecting the young demoness from Mitsuru.

The sound of a sword slashing in the air interrupted her train of thoughts and she found herself appreciating the distraction. She noticed Sannan was practicing his swordplay with his left hand, while his right arm appeared to be injured and wrapped in a cloth. Witnessing the human so keen on improving his skills despite his injuries, Asuna was also determined to keep her promise and reunite with Senhime soon.

That was the least that she could do for now.

**X X X  
**

**AUTHOR NOTE:**

I am truly sorry for the long delay. I really have no excuse to justify myself. I’ve simply lost the motivation to write due to my busy personal life and work, and I apologize for that *sweatdrops*.

I do want to thank the readers who have been following this story patiently. I may update the chapters slower than many authors but I can promise that I will not give up my stories. I will also try to post new chapters more frequently, no more long breaks like the last one. Funny thing was even my beta reader, Waffle has forgotten about the plot since it’s been so long lol…

But thank to my recent trip to Japan (actually I just returned on Friday), I found the inspiration to write again! Visiting castles and shrines have really helped me to get back into the mood lol. It was my first time visiting Japan and I will definitely go there again. I also bought six nendoroids (yes, I am very obsessed with them), had to buy a new suitcase for those haha but it was worth it!

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as we finally have a glimpse of Asuna’s past and explanation for her commitment towards Senhime. Please let me know what you guys think – as usual, feedback and reviews are always appreciated!

Thank you all and see you in Chapter 7!


	7. First Night of Patrol

 

 

 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hakuoki. This amazing anime was created by Asuka Yamazaki, Kazuhiko Hasegawa and Mitsutoshi Ogura. I only created my Shinohara and some side characters.

**_Editor / Beta Reader: Waffle (Thank you)_ **

_Rated **Teen** for violence, blood, coarse language and / or sexually suggestive scenes (rating  will eventually change to Mature as story progresses, readers have been advised)._

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

**Kiss Of Snow**

**By: LadySwanna**

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

**Chapter 7: First Night of Patrol**

Shinohara jumped down from the top of a building she'd been padding along and landed gracefully on the snow covered ground.

"This way," she stated silently, leading the group of three men to a narrow and isolated passageway from the main streets.

In the silvery light that had turned darkness into twilight, their blue haori coats should've shone like beacons, but they were invisible. As leaders of the Shinsengumi, they knew how to use the shadows of the night to hide and conceal themselves. No one would see them if they didn't want to be seen.

Above them the moon hung, a bright saucer in the sky, visible even through the thick clouds. For long moments, they stood and watched through the dark for any sparse movements in the night.

"This is a waste of time. It's going to be another night that we return to our quarters empty-handed," Shinpachi muttered, already feeling demoralized.

"Hunting takes patience, skill and a little luck," said Sano from a short measure behind him.

Shinpachi ran a hand through his hair in frustration, and heaved a heavy sigh as he peered across the streets.

They waited.

Standing further away from the group, the demoness disregarded their trifling exchange as she continued to actively survey her surroundings. Occasionally a whisper of a scent in the cold wind had her lifting her nose into the air. Perhaps demons also had an enhanced sense of smell to find their prey in the darkness. After all, her unrevealed abilities were still a mystery to Hijikata. What if her real ability wasn't her unique mastery of swordsmanship or agility? What if her true abilities were something greater?

If that was so, then the biggest threat here would not be Rasetsu but pureblood demons if they chose to be an enemy of mankind. In all likelihood, this could be why their race had been decimated by humans many years ago.

"Let's just call it a night," Shinpachi's voice cut into his thoughts. "It's not happening."

"Guess we will try our luck again tomorrow," Sano said, agreeing.

"What did I tell you? A complete waste of time!"

Shinohara glanced their way but remained reserved.

"They aren't going to show up just because we wish it," Hijikata added sternly.

Just as the men began leaving the alley, the sudden sound of sword scraping scabbard caught them off-guard. Hijikata turned and saw the demoness moving her hand towards the blade, slicing her palm. Blood was dripping from her self-inflicted wound, tainting the white blanket of snow below her feet red. As if she hadn't done enough damage, she began clenching her hand into a tight fist, spilling more blood.

Hijikata rushed over and grabbed her wrist; it was small and delicate. Her initial reaction was to wrench her arm away from him and that only got him to grip it tighter.

"What are you doing?" he scowled at her, both startled and annoyed at the same time.

She met his gaze in the dark and said in her silky voice unconcernedly, "What needs to be done."

Hijikata would have retorted but to his astonishment, the lacerations mended immediately, leaving her blood-covered palm woundless. He could not believe the sight before his eyes as he had only heard of such powers in folklore.

"Is she alright?"

He moved closer to her, deliberately barricading her from the men's vision with his back. The floral springtime scent of hers filled his senses as he leaned closer. She was motionless when he took off his headband and quickly wrapped it around her palm, hiding it.

"She's fine, it's just a minor cut," Hijikata lied.

Suddenly out of a cluster of huge, empty barrels across the adjacent path, two shadowy figures emerged. They were constantly sniffing the air for the scent of blood, revealing their fangs; their unearthly crimson eyes glowed blazingly in the darkness.

"Are…are those the Rasetsu that we've been trying to track down?" Shinpachi asked, sounding somewhat breathless.

"These men have nothing human about them," Sano commented, staring straight at them with vigilance. His hand was already reaching for his spear.

"Silver hair and glowing red eyes are their transformed phase," Shinohara began as she strolled over towards them slowly. "During their transformation, their strength and speed will be at their peak. You will have to be faster, more accurate if you want to take them down."

Smelling the blood from her palm, the Rasetsu grew excited and charged at Shinohara. She avoided the attack effortlessly and spun around, kicking one of them in the shoulder, sending him to the ground.

"If you take your time to dispatch them, their wounds will heal and you only succeed in depleting your stamina."

As if to demonstrate, she lifted her sword and slashed hard at the flesh of the standing Rasetsu's abdomen. Her sharp blade scored a long, straight cut which spurted blood at once. Although the regeneration speed wasn't as instant in comparison to Shinohara, the Rasetsu's wound had already begun to heal.

"Wh-what?! My eyes must be playing tricks on me, Sano!" Shinpachi gaped in surprise.

"You idiot. There's nothing wrong with your eyes. His wound is closing by itself."

The two Captains were both somewhat transfixed but Hijikata knew it wasn't terror that held them, it was the uncertainty of the unknown. It was the intangible made real that stayed their hands, as they grappled with the idea that such creatures could really exist.

"Aim for two vital areas; head and heart." Shinohara thrusted her sword at one of the Rasetsu's chest while the other lurched at her. She pulled out the blade and whirled around to plunge the second Rasetsu in the heart, turning both to ashes simultaneously.

"I'm in love," Shinpachi declared with a palm over his heart, his voice low.

"Should I be laughing?" Sano asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Why would you even laugh at me about something so serious?!"

"When are you ever _not_ deliriously in love?"

"I wouldn't need to constantly look around if you didn't always steal all the women!"

"That's enough, both of you. We just ran into two Rasetsu and you two still have the mood to quarrel?" Hijikata silenced them. "We should return to our headquarters for the night and share our findings with the others during the morning briefing."

They started heading back as Shinohara walked beside Hijikata at a distance willingly, keeping her gaze on the path before her.

"You know, Shinohara-" Shinpachi began as he came up to her, wedging his way in between them.

"Asuna," she cut him off, reminding him how she preferred to be addressed.

"Asuna," he corrected himself. "I think I've heard you talk more tonight than you have in the past week since you joined us."

Silence met his statement. A silence so long that, in the end, Shinpachi had to change topics in an attempt to revive the conversation again.

"I am quite impressed with your talent on the field! I don't believe I've ever seen a woman battle like that before. Where did you learn your sword skills from?"

She hesitated momentarily. "My father and my guardian."

"They must be great warriors and very skillful. Where are you originally from?" He probed.

"South of Japan."

"Where, South of Japan?"

"I have no desire to share my past or lineage any further." Her curt reply and stony expression brought his attempts at conversation to a quick end.

Smirking, Sano threw an arm over Shinpachi's shoulder and pulled him to walk ahead together. "You need to learn to take a hint from women and leave them alone when they want to be left alone."

Hijikata noticed that the demoness didn't like to talk about herself at all and he could see that she liked discussing her family even less. It was as if Shinohara Asuna were encased in a shell where nothing could get in…or out. Whether she preferred to keep to herself, or she simply wanted to bury the horror of her past, he couldn't comprehend that kind of loneliness. Though he was a loner by nature, he knew his comrades would lay down their lives for him. Saito wouldn't blink. Neither would Souji or any of the other Captains.

He closed the distance between them as he didn't want their private conversation to be overheard. "What you did back there was unnecessary."

She glanced his way, trying to understand his implication but remained quiet.

"Even though you're a demon, I don't need you to mutilate yourself just to draw out Rasetsu."

"I do what I want to do."

Hijikata felt an unexpected stroke of pride from her. There was strength in the female next to him. He knew all too well by now that nobody could make this demoness do anything she didn't want. Not wanting her to misread his intention and think that he was trying to control her, he explained further.

"Although you may heal quickly, I'm sure you still experience pain when you are injured."

She dragged her gaze from the street ahead of her and turned to him again. Her face underwent a subtle shift momentarily as if she was trying to process his comment, but then she disregarded it.

"I'm not afraid of pain," she gave a dignified answer as she lowered her voice. "I'm a demon, I don't fear pain or death."

Shinohara started walking off but he followed after her. "By the way, I don't believe you've mentioned your ability to heal instantly."

"It's a touch."

"Any other 'touches' I should be aware of?" he gave her a piercing look, though it may have been too dark for her to notice.

"Why should I disclose my abilities to you? Humans have been trying to eradicate us for years and exposing my strength to a mortal would only seem reckless and illogical."

It appeared this demoness trusted him as little as he trusted her, and he didn't blame her. Trust wasn't something so easily obtained, it had to be earned through strong actions rather than placating words.

During Hijikata's adolescence he'd learned the hard way that if he wanted to survive, he had to start out with a healthy dose of cynicism. But once someone had earned his trust, he turned it over to them completely and even devotedly without reservation.

Although he didn't trust her either, somehow it irritated him that she hadn't even hesitated when she made that comment.

Suddenly Shinohara paused in her steps and shifted her focus to an empty alley on her right. She began trekking towards it. Worrying about the appearance of more Rasetsu, Hijikata hurried after her even though she'd already proven that she was more than capable of taking them down without aid.

But there were no signs of Rasetsu. With her back still facing him, she bent over as if she had discovered something. As he approached her, he realized she had found a black kitten curled into a little ball leaning against a stone.

"Is everything alright?" Sano asked, peering in from the street.

"Yes, it's nothing." Hijikata looked over his shoulder and answered casually. "Why don't you both head back to the base first and we will join you shortly."

The Captains complied and retreated, leaving Hijikata alone with the demoness. When he crouched before her, their eyes met for a short moment before she lowered hers to the kitten again.

"Its body is cold."

He was taken aback as she reached out to stroke the kitten with her fingers soothingly. Her touch was gentle, almost feather-light as if she was afraid she would hurt it. He certainly didn't expect to see a tender side to the same demoness who had attacked his comrade for blood only days ago.

"It probably strayed from its litter." The small animal was weak and passive; it was no bigger than his hand.

"It will die out here," she said it so unemotionally that he would have mistaken her to be unsympathetic. But there was a flicker of warmth in her eyes when she spoke those words.

Eyes wide, Shinohara watched with curiosity as he picked up the kitten carefully; its fur was damp and frigid from the snow. He settled it inside his haori coat, in the hopes that some of his body heat would warm it up. Hijikata didn't know what had gotten into him, and he didn't want to know. He only knew that deep down, this fragile animal needed their help and he felt like he should do something.

"Like you said, it will die out here in the cold if we don't do anything to help it."

Not waiting for her response, Hijikata rose and strolled out of the alleyway with the demoness trailing closely behind.

**X X X**

Soon after they arrived back at the headquarters, Heisuke and Shinpachi were already at the entrance.

"Where are you going?" Hijikata queried with knitted eyebrows.

"We're going to the red-light distr-" Shinpachi clasped the boy's mouth with his hand, effectively stopping him from continuing further.

"We're going to get some liquor." He turned to Shinohara and explained almost too eagerly, "We're out of liquor, so we're just going to a store for restock. We aren't going anywhere suspicious."

The demoness stared at him blankly. In her mind, she was probably wondering why he felt the need to offer her an explanation. She may possess a vast knowledge of the demon realm that they were unversed in, but Hijikata highly doubted she had the slightest clue when it came to men.

"You both have morning duties-"

Hijikata's preaching was interrupted when the kitten emerged its head from inside of his coat, letting out frail mews. An awkward silence descended upon them as the Captains simply gaped at him, their jaws dropped.

He adjusted the hem of his coat to cover it again and continued casually, "As I was saying, you both have morning duties so don't stay out too late."

"Should I go and inform Saito to start his night watch of Asuna-chan now that you've returned?" Heisuke offered after he recovered from the strange sight.

"Don't speak about me as if I'm not standing right before you." A cool comment but Hijikata wondered what had driven her to make it. Demons shouldn't know how to take offense, because to take offense, they'd have to feel.

Throwing a quick glance at the demoness next to him, he answered, "No, I will inform him myself later."

With that being said, he walked off and Shinohara followed suit.

"A-am I seeing things, Heisuke…? Or is there actually a cat inside his attire?" He overheard Shinpachi ask.

"Hijikata-san always looks so stern and capable, but that rare sight definitely made him less intimidating," Heisuke added.

"You got that right, kid. That was surely a once in a lifetime spectacle." Both men chuckled and left the entrance to start their nighttime venture.

As they reached the front of Shinohara's chamber, Hijikata turned and very tenderly moved the kitten from his palm to hers. "Hold onto it and wait for me inside your chamber."

He quickly left before the demoness had the opportunity to refute his order, and headed towards the kitchen. At this time of night he doubted there would be any leftovers, especially when their headquarters was always full of hungry men, but he still wanted to try his luck.

Fortunately there was some leftover rice porridge in a porcelain pot on the stove. Hijikata poured the remaining amount into a clean bowl and left the kitchen.

Recalling his two Captains' reactions earlier, Hijikata knew his behavior was completely out of character, as evident by their amusement. But he was having difficulty finding any humor in it.

He derived no benefits from his position, unlike some of the other Vice-Commanders he had met and known. He served Kondo-san and the country with his great knowledge, his noble example and his constant readiness to aid others. Complete obedience and loyalty from his men were formed on the basis of his ethics and his austerity. Hijikata was aware that he had to be more mindful of his actions if he wanted to retain their respect for him as their leader.

As he found his way back to the demoness' chamber again he knocked on the door but received no response. He knew she was inside as there was a soft flickering of candlelight glowing from the room.

Hijikata knocked harder this time and declared, "I'm entering."

The moment he set foot into the room, the same floral scent drifted to his nose as he scanned his surroundings. It was the first time he'd entered her chambers since she'd starting residing with them. The room was empty and bare, yet she had kept it orderly and clean. He slid the door closed behind him and joined her at the corner, placing the bowl down on the tatami mat.

"What is that?" she asked, curious.

"It's rice porridge."

"What is rice porridge?"

"It's rice boiled in large amounts of water until it softens into gruel," he explained as he stared into a pair of striking aquamarine eyes he found incredibly easy to look at.

_She_ , in fact, was very easy to look at. Her face was a sculpture of beauty, chiseled features outlined by a slender jawline. Although she was tall for a woman, she had an air of confidence about her that made her appear larger in stature than she really was.

To his astonishment, Shinohara reached her finger into the bowl and dipped it into a mound of rice porridge. Then she slipped her finger into her mouth. Hijikata fully understood it wasn't meant to be seductive, but he'd never been so aware of the inherent sensuality of the act. As much as he wanted to deny it, he was feeling the stirrings of desire. Perhaps it had been too long since he was in the company of a female.

"It has no flavor," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Seasoning is not good for animals."

"Why not?"

Hijikata almost wanted to grin at her hunger for trivial knowledge that should have been beneath a demoness like herself. Her budding curiosity was obvious. "We can't share all our food with animals as it can affect their digestive system, causing health issues. Sometimes it can even kill them."

Frowning, she averted her gaze back to the kitten. "It's not eating the porridge."

Hijikata picked it up gingerly and lifted it to his nose level. It seemed wrong that it was little more than a fluffy feature in his palm. "Beggars can't be choosers. You must eat if you want to live on."

"Animals can't understand human language."

This time, he didn't bother to suppress his grin. "You would be surprised. Even if it doesn't understand my words, it will get the message and act accordingly. Animals can tell when you are being docile or hostile towards them."

He released the kitten and placed it back on the tatami mat, right in front of the bowl. They watched as it stretched and let out soft mews.

"How is the human child?"

Hijikata was taken aback by her sudden question. "Takeshi's fine. He's regained consciousness but we are confining him to his bed for now."

He must admit, sometimes he was rather baffled by this demoness' erratic nature. She preferred complete seclusion and withdrew from humans when they were around her. Others who didn't know her real identity as a demon made clever jokes about her in her absence. She was aware, though she seemed not to be. When accused, she did not defend herself with words. She did not defend herself at all.

When Hijikata had accused her of causing Takeshi's injuries two days ago, she simply stood her ground, held her tongue and observed. It was as if she wanted _him_ to realize his own shortcomings and errors. She was not concerned with retaliation but Hijikata knew that he owed her an apology, as it was only appropriate for him to admit his mistake.

"Regarding that day, I jumped to conclusions and I-"

"It's eating," Shinohara looked at him with a meager curve of her lips.

It was the faintest smile he had ever seen from her. And then she seemed to withdraw even that as she lowered her head and stroked the kitten while it was lapping up the food.

As soon as the kitten licked the last drop of rice porridge, it moved towards Hijikata and tried pawing its way up his legs. She watched intently with interest.

"Alright, you take care of it now," he gently handed the kitten to her for the last time as she held out both palms.

The night was getting rather late and if he stayed in her chamber any longer, unfavorable rumors would begin to spread like wildfire. Not that this demoness would care or mind, but she was still an unwed woman after all. There was a reputation of decency for both of them.

"I…I don't know how to take care of it," she confessed, showing vulnerability for the first time.

She was indeed full of surprises tonight and they almost made her a little more…human.

"Feed it twice a day. Most of the time it will be roaming around the compound on its own. Just make sure you don't take a bite out of it when you crave blood," Hijikata found himself teasing before he could even stop the urge.

It felt like he'd slapped her. "I won't. Our thirst cannot be quenched by animal blood."

There it was again, the bleak reminder that she was a demoness who preyed on humans for blood. Perhaps it was the breath of fresh wintry air that lacked her scent, but suddenly Hijikata's mind was steered back to reality as he was reminded of their differences.

"Good to know. All the more reason we have to be extra vigilant around you."

**X X X**

**AUTHOR NOTE:**

Hi again, everyone! Since I've took such a long break from this story, I decided to work on chapter 7 in the past week so that I could update this weekend as compensation. I hope readers who've been following this story like this chapter because there are finally some 'fluffs' going on between Hijikata and Asuna (and trust me, I've had such a fun time writing it too - can't wait to write more).

Thank you to those who have subscribed and / or bookmarked as well as given this story a kudo and / or review, I'm glad that you guys gave this fic a chance and that you're enjoying it so far! It always made me happy to know that Asuna is so loved by you guys.

Lastly, I will definitely try to post chapter 8 soon but I cannot promise it will be as quick since I got three other fics that I desperately need to update as well.

Thanks again and I will see you all next time!


End file.
